Floods at JFK airport results in high number of flight delays and cancellations

Major disruption at New York’s’ largest airport, JFK. Passengers at John F. Kennedy airport were shocked by a large amount of water flooding parts of the airport as a water pipe broke yesterday afternoon.

Extreme cold temperatures freezes water pipelines

Extremely cold weather has been affecting people in the east of the USA and Canada for over a week now. The burst pipeline is probably the direct effect of the freezing weather. The leakage has caused a havoc at the airport. Dozens of flights are cancelled and a few hundred flights suffer long delays.

One of the airports baggage claims is completely flooded. Parts of security and the arrivals hall are also covered in water. It will take several hours before the airport is operating again.

One of the airports baggage claims is completely flooded

Your rights when your flight affected by the flood

If you flight is cancelled or delayed because of the flood at JFK airport, you are not entitled to compensation. A flood at the airport is considered to be an ‘extraordinary circumstance’ under EU Regulation 261/2004. You are entitled to care if your flight is delayed be two hours or more. If you are in doubt about the cause for your flight delay or cancellation, check your rights in our claim calculator.