Hurricane Irene battered the East Coast of the United States over the weekend, badly affecting flights to and from major US cities including New York, Washington DC, Boston and Philadelphia.
Flights to New York were badly affected after local authorities shut down both JFK and Newark airports, as well as New York City’s main public transport network. Hurricane Irene has since been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm and both airports have since re-opened.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flights to and from the East Coast, including flights to New York, are operating as scheduled from today (Tuesday, 30 August). There are likely to be severe delays for travellers already in the US who were scheduled to return on flights over the weekend, up to and including Monday, 29 August.
The latest message on the Virgin Atlantic website warns passengers who do not hold a confirmed reservation for scheduled flights over the next few days to stay away from the airport as “flights are already full and we will not be accepting any stand by passengers.”
Virgin Atlantic has added some flights to help clear the backlog of stranded passengers but the statement adds: “if you have already been rebooked on a flight due to leave … Up to and including Thursday, 1 September please do not call us. We will not be able to bring you home any sooner so please check-in for your new flight as usual.”
Virgin Atlantic customers are urged to register their details with the airlines’ “away from home link” so that they can be contacted by reservations teams over the next 24 hours with new flight details. Virgin states that as soon as more seats become available they will be contacting passengers directly on the “away from home link” in order to book flights. You can register at: surveymonkey.com.
British Airways customers should check the status of their flights before heading to the airport. If you do not have a ticket for a scheduled flight, do not go to the airport.
If you are booked to travel on a BA flight that is cancelled you can either rebook another flight at a later date at no extra charge or cancel the booking and claim a full refund. If you are stranded in the US, contact your airline or travel agent for up-to-date details.
British Airways Contacts
In the UK: 0800 727 800 (0600-2000 local time)
In the US: 1 800 247 9297 (1 800 AIRWAYS) (0700-0100 local time)
Virgin Atlantic Contacts
In the US: Reservations/Flight Information (Open 24/hours day) 1 800 821 5438
In the UK: Reservations (Open 24/hours day) 0844 874 7747
(Image: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center)
