Middle Eastern, European,
Asian and U.S. airlines have grounded flights in and out of America's
eastern seaboard as 350-mile wide Sandy prepares to make landfall later
Monday.
As Americans brace for
the storm, airlines are preparing to take a financial hit, with the
weather stranding their passengers in cities across the globe.
"Every day this goes on
you're seeing combined losses to the airlines of roughly $10 million,"
said Simon Calder, travel editor of the UK's The Independent newspaper.
"The cost is actually
much worse for European airlines like British Airways and Virgin
Atlantic, because they have to pay for accommodation and meals for their
customers who are stuck in the U.S. -- particularly in New York."
Sandy approaching northeast U.S.
Presidential politics and the storm
European Union law says
airlines have a "duty of care" to take care of stranded passengers.
There is no such law governing U.S. airlines.
"Delta and United can just say, 'Sorry, this is a weather event and you're not covered,'" Calder told CNN.
Latest: Hurricane Sandy takes aim at New Jersey
British Airways has now cancelled flights to and from New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Baltimore.
A statement on BA's
website said: "We understand that customers may be disappointed, however
their safety is our highest priority. We are offering the option to
rebook or receive a refund to those customers whose flights are
cancelled."
Britain's Virgin Atlantic also
cancelled all east coast flights, and London's Heathrow Airport is
advising U.S.-bound passengers to check their flight status before
travelling to the airport.
Karen Mackenzie from
Essex, in southeastern England, was planning to fly Monday to New York
on a Virgin holiday package, but the airline cancelled her entire
holiday due to the storm.
While Virgin Atlantic
gave Mackenzie a full refund, the elementary school principal says her
schedule means she won't be able to rebook the holiday until next year.
"I feel really horrible
for those poor people in New York at the moment, waiting for the
hurricane to hit. It's disappointing to lose our holiday, but for them
it's a much more hideous situation," she told CNN.
Qatar Airways and the United Arab Emirates-based airlines Etihad and Emirates
also cancelled flights to the U.S. northeast. In a statement Emirates
said the safety of their passengers "will not be compromised."
Germany's Lufthansa, Ireland's Aer Lingus, Australia's Qantas and Turkish Airlines have also scrubbed flights in and out of New York and elsewhere.
Some 50 million people
from Virginia to Massachusetts are expected to feel the effect of Sandy,
which is expected to land somewhere between Maryland and Pennsylvania
late Monday or early Tuesday. New Jersey could bear the brunt of the
Category 1 hurricane, according to a forecast map released by the
National Hurricane Center.
The cost of potential
wind damage alone from the hurricane could be up to $3 billion,
according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The storm has also prompted thousands of domestic cancellations across America.
While all American Airlines flights to the east coast are cancelled, the airline is operating a normal service to other parts of the country.
United Airlines grounded roughly 3,700 flights between Sunday and Wednesday, and Delta said all flights from Washington to Boston, and out of New York and Philadelphia, were cancelled.
Both companies are allowing some customers to change their flight plans without paying any fees due to the storm.
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