It's rare for a single airport to make headlines,Thailand but that's what happens when a cascading series of events shuts down one of the world's biggest transit hubs.
John F. Kennedy International Airport is in a state of disarray on Sunday as nasty weather, blistering cold, and human error conspired to create a logjam that's left travelers stranded and planes grounded or redirected. Not a great mixture for people moving into or out of New York this weekend.
SEE ALSO: Even weather experts are in awe of the 'bomb cyclone'Troubles started last week, when the terrifyingly named "bomb cyclone" dumped snow and windy weather across the eastern United States on Wednesday and Thursday. The inclement weather was followed immediately by a lingering cold snap that's slowed down cleanup and recovery efforts.
Those two events alone caused heavy delays and cancelled or redirected flights that piled on top of each other as the week wore on. The issues were then further exacerbated over the weekend by instances of human error, unexpected disasters, and downright bad behavior.
Taken together, this confluence of events led to a mob scene at JFK on Saturday and Sunday as distraught, angry, and, in some cases, stranded travelers coped with disrupted travel plans and the inevitable frustrating hold-ups that come about when thousands of people are stuck in the same physical space, with the same fundamental problems to solve.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey attempted to sum up the situation and what led to it in a lengthy Twitter thread (for a state agency, at least) posted on Saturday.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
That final tweet in the thread is notable. While some of the traffic jam was unavoidable given the nature of the storm and its after-effects, observers have noted that there was plenty of advance warning here. The storm was a known threat before it had even fully formed, and the intense period of cold that followed was expected.
All of which is to say: preparations at JFK could have been more thorough, airlines could have done a better job of anticipating flight disruptions, and the lines of communication to passengers all throughout could have been clearer.
Port Authority followed up those tweets on Sunday with a longer statement, confirming that the airport's runways and taxiways are "fully operational" while airlines "remain in recovery mode" as they deal with rebookings and lost luggage.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Predictably, much of this has been documented on social media. Take a look, and spend some time scrolling through FlightRadar24's Twitter feed to see the long lineup of JFK-related delays and redirects.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
UPDATEDJan. 7, 2018, 4:22 p.m. ET with Port Authority's Sunday statement.
'Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery' mobile game enrolls you in a virtual wizarding schoolNew patent reveals what LG's foldable phone could look likeA government shutdown is unlikely to affect the nation's internetFacebook appoints its first black board member, Kenneth Chenault of AmexJoseph GordonCity advertises for a graphic design job, and damn they need helpHere's what's coming to Hulu in FebruaryThis hero's reaction to his girlfriend's selfie is spectacularly dramatic'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' gets fan edit removing the menMicrosoft announces release date for 'Age of Empires: Definitive Edition'Tide Pod craze shows there's such a thing as bad publicityColin Firth announces he won't work with Woody Allen againYour Amazon Prime monthly plan just got more expensiveThis woman found a superMark Hamill sent Kelly Marie Tran the sweetest tweet just 'causeTide Pod craze shows there's such a thing as bad publicityPatreon updates content reporting tool, hires human moderatorsDutch people are sharing terrifying storm footage from the NetherlandsCybersecurity report reveals malicious Dark Caracal phishing campaignHomePod, Apple's Amazon Echo killer is, could launch very soon Need a Valentine’s Day Movie? Try “I Know Where I’m Going!” The Answers to Our Hink Pink Contest Who Said a Public Poem Has to Cheer You Up? 30+ Prime Day 2 sex toy deals: LELO, Satisfyer, more Steve Clay on the Beginning of Granary Books Solve These Rhyming Riddles and Win a Free Subscription The Fine Art of the Armchair Cookbook The History Behind Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” Best Prime Day Kindle deal: $50 off Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition My Life Polishing Silver To Die, To Sleep, And Other News Best Prime Day Kindle Oasis deal: $50 off Kindle Oasis “February: Pemaquid Point”—A Poem by Ira Sadoff France Says Goodbye to the Circumflex Watch a Strange, Spooky Documentary About Isak Dinesen The bitter, banal, and bizarre YouTube circus of Depp v. Heard Things People Do: Four Paintings by Mernet Larsen Klaus Wittkugel, East German Master of Book Design Walmart+ Weekend: Walmart's answer to Prime Day starts June 2 Prime Day 2023 luggage deals: Shop from top brands like Samsonite and SwissGear