Major transatlantic disruption as winter storm Hernando hits US east coast

Airlines have cancelled multiple transatlantic services to the US east coast after Winter Storm Hernando brought blizzard conditions, heavy snowfall and widespread disruption across the region.

Operations were suspended at key international gateways including John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport, grounding flights and triggering knock-on delays across the network.

Almost 4,000 predominantly domestic US flights were reportedly affected on Sunday, with hundreds more delayed, as states of emergency were declared across large parts of the northeast.

The National Weather Service warned of “nearly impossible travel conditions”, citing heavy snowfall, strong winds, flooding and power outages.

Virgin Atlantic confirmed that 14 Heathrow–JFK flights had been cancelled over a three-day period up to Tuesday, along with four services to and from Manchester. Two Heathrow–Boston flights scheduled for Monday were also grounded.

The airline said the Port Authority of New York and Boston had suspended airport operations at JFK and BOS, impacting its flying programme.

Customers affected by cancellations are being rebooked onto alternative services, with passengers permitted to move travel to another date free of charge up to 26 February, subject to availability in the same cabin and route.

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Flights to and from Washington DC were also affected.

Other carriers operating transatlantic routes between Heathrow, New York and Boston, including British Airways, American Airlines and JetBlue, also cancelled flights on Monday.

Delta Air Lines said it expected to suspend operations at its New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK and Boston Logan hubs into Tuesday due to “extreme winter weather conditions”, warning of further schedule adjustments as the storm system moved south.

United Airlines indicated that services from 17 airports would be affected through Wednesday, including New York, Newark, Boston and Washington.

The disruption comes just a month after a similar storm grounded thousands of US flights, underlining the continued vulnerability of east coast operations during peak winter conditions.

For UK-based corporate travellers with east coast itineraries this week, airlines are advising flexibility and proactive rebooking where possible.

With major hubs temporarily closed and knock-on effects likely to persist even after conditions improve, schedule reliability across the transatlantic corridor may remain volatile over the coming days.