If you were flying through the Northeast on Friday, you probably had a bad day. Winter storm Devin swept through the region during peak holiday travel, delivering exactly the kind of chaos travelers dread: mass cancellations, thousands of delays, and emergency declarations across multiple states.
The Numbers Tell the Story
According to data from flight-tracking website FlightAware, the disruption was massive. More than 27,000 flights were delayed worldwide on Friday, with nearly 7,800 of those delays hitting U.S. travelers. Over 2,000 flights were canceled globally, and about 1,650 of those cancellations affected flights within, into, or out of the United States.
The timing couldn't have been worse. This is one of the busiest travel periods of the year, and winter storm Devin decided to make itself comfortable right when millions of people were trying to get somewhere.
New York Gets Hit Hardest
The worst of it centered on the New York metropolitan area, where three major airports took the brunt of the storm. John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport all issued warnings about potential delays and cancellations as snow intensified across the region.
Here's the kicker: more than half of all U.S. flight disruptions occurred at just these three airports, according to FlightAware data. When you concentrate that much air traffic in one geographic area and then dump snow on it, things fall apart quickly.
Which Airlines Suffered Most
JetBlue Airways (JBLU) led all carriers in cancellations, grounding hundreds of flights as the storm hammered its core Northeast operations, according to Reuters. That makes sense given JetBlue's heavy presence in New York, but it wasn't the only airline scrambling.
Delta Air Lines (DAL), American Airlines (AAL), United Airlines Holdings (UAL), and Republic Airways (RJET) all reported significant cancellations as well. When a storm hits this hard in such a critical region, nobody escapes unscathed.
Emergency Declarations and Travel Restrictions
The National Weather Service warned that winter storm Devin would create dangerous travel conditions from the Great Lakes through the northern Mid-Atlantic and southern New England through Saturday morning. Forecasters projected 4 to 8 inches of snow across parts of upstate New York, New York City, and Long Island.
State officials took it seriously. New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency, while New Jersey and Pennsylvania imposed commercial vehicle restrictions on major highways to reduce accident risks. When states start limiting truck traffic, you know conditions are legitimately dangerous.
What This Means for Investors
Weather disruptions like this are typically short-term headaches for airlines rather than long-term problems, but they're worth watching. JetBlue (JBLU) shows a positive price trend in the short and medium term, according to market data, though its long-term trend remains negative. The company's heavy Northeast exposure makes it particularly vulnerable to storms like Devin, which is something investors should keep in mind during winter months when these disruptions become more common.