Thanksgiving travel got off to a slow start for New Yorkers trying to fly out of town Wednesday morning, with a rash of weather-related flight cancellations at local airports.
At least 51 flights had been canceled out of Newark International Airport (EWR) and 34 were wiped out at LaGuardia Airport (LGA), according to data compiled by air traffic website FlightAware.
As of Wednesday morning, EWR cancellations accounted for 35 percent of flights that should have taken off, while called-off journeys from LGA represented 5 percent of its scheduled morning traffic.
Before 10 a.m., there had been 10 canceled flights out of JFK, six from Westchester and one out of Islip.
LGA is already bracing for an onslaught of travelers trapped at the airport by flight cancellations.
“If your flight does get canceled and you find yourself an unexpected guest at the airport, we are going to do everything we can (to help),” airport GM Tom Brosco said.
“We will provide cots, pillows, blankets and other amenities to try to minimize your inconvenience and make it as comfortable as possible.”
Brosco urged travelers to check on their flight status before leaving for the airport.
“With the bad weather, there are bound to be cancellations and delays, so the best advice I have for the air traveling public is to call ahead to your specific airline and find out about the status of your flight before you come to the airport,” he said.