Travel misery grinds on as US digs itself out of winter superstorm

Thousands more flights are still being cancelled across the US, with no end in sight to days of travel misery as the country digs out from a deadly superstorm.

The partially frozen Niagara Falls, on the border with Canada. Picture: Getty Images

Thousands more flights are still being cancelled across the US, with no end in sight to days of travel misery as the country digs out from a deadly superstorm.

At least 65 people are dead ­nationally, with 37 killed just in western New York state – the area of the country hardest hit by the massive winter storm.

Another kind of crisis was playing out at US airports around the country, as Southwest Airlines was forced to cancel thousands more flights to try to recover from a spiralling logistics breakdown.

The airline’s woes stranded thousands of customers as well as pilots and flight attendants.

Video on social media showed rows and rows of stranded bags at Southwest stations at airports in Nashville, Orlando and other southern cities.

Tourists visit Niagara Falls as it is partially frozen due to extreme cold weather in the northeast of New York state. Picture: Getty Images

“I didn’t try to come earlier this week, it seems to have been such a mess,” said Donald Sneyder, who found himself back at the Baltimore airport three days after his flight to Indianapolis was cancelled.

The storm, which descended on the US just before the busy Christmas holiday weekend, led to unusually cold weather in much of the country, including Texas and Florida.

Temperatures were moderating nationwide on Wednesday, including in Buffalo, New York, even as the region ­remained in ­triage mode.

Just 40km away on the Canadian border, Niagara Falls was enveloped in a freezing mist and blocks of ice had formed.

Buffalo, on the shores of Lake Erie, has seen a majority of the storm-related deaths.

As temperatures plummeted last Friday, commuters and some residents fleeing their freezing homes became trapped on highways, with first responders unable to reach them.

“There are multiple unidentified bodies at this point,” said Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted. “I offer my very deepest sympathies and condolences to all who have lost a loved one from this terrible Blizzard.”

The National Guard planned to conduct door-to-door wellness checks for every home in areas that lost power, Mr Poloncarz said, reiterating that a driving ban was still in effect for Buffalo.

Officials also began bracing for the next possible crisis: the impact of large amounts of melting snow.

A loader clears piles of snow along a street in Buffalo, New York. Picture: Getty Images

New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered deployment of pumps and sandbags in case of “potentially dangerous flooding conditions”.

Southwest Airlines was still days away from resolving its system-wide breakdown: the carrier cancelled more than 2500 flights on Wednesday, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of all scrubbed US flights, according to tracking website FlightAware.

In a series of media appearances, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recounted telling Southwest chief executive Bob Jordan that the government would “hold them accountable” in requiring the airline to compensate customers for the mounting costs of cancelled flights and ­travel-related expenditures.

Mr Jordan said he was “truly sorry” and promised to “make things right for customers”.

“We’re optimistic to be back on track before next week,” he said.

Stranded Southwest Airlines passengers looks for their luggage in the baggage claim area at Chicago Midway International Airport. Pictures: AFP

Mr Jordan has acknowledged that the problems have underscored the need to upgrade outdated trip scheduling software that became overwhelmed in the storm.

The problem has been highlighted by the flight attendants union, which has called on Southwest to invest more on employees. Several leading Southwest unions remain locked in contract negotiations after earlier pacts expired.

Another union, the TWU Local 555, which represents ground workers, said the meltdown reflected Southwest’s failure to adapt its systems as its operations have evolved.

“Although it can be complicated, especially during the holiday season, we need to consider better spacing of flights during ­extreme weather events in the bitter cold of winter – as well as the extreme heat of summer,” said union official Randy Barnes.

AFP