Dozens of flights cancelled, delayed amid storms in Eastern Canada, U.S

Hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed Tuesday, one day after powerful storms swept across the eastern half of the country and upended air travel in multiple cities.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed Tuesday, one day after powerful storms swept across the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada, and upended air travel in a cross-section of cities.

Travellers have been facing additional jams at airport security checkpoints as a partial government shutdown strains screener staffing.

The disruptions come at an already challenging time for air travel, in part because the shutdown that began Feb. 14 has pressured staffing at some security checkpoints. At the same time, airports are crowded with spring break travellers and fans heading to March Madness games, the annual NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments.

Nearly 900 flights scheduled to fly into, out of or within the U.S. have been called off as of Tuesday morning, and nearly 1,800 were delayed, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware.

Flight delays and cancellations piled up Monday at some of the nation’s largest airports, including those in New York, Chicago and Atlanta. The storm system that dumped heavy snow across the Midwest raced toward the East Coast with high winds reaching gusts near 50 mph (80 km) in parts of New York, the National Weather Service said.

Toronto Pearson’s website was also reporting dozens of delays for flights bound to various North American destinations as of publication time.

Kelly Price, who was trying to get home to Colorado after a family vacation in Orlando, Florida, said her Sunday night flight wasn’t cancelled until early Monday.

“By that time the only place for us to sleep was the airport floor. So we’re all tired and frustrated,” she said, adding that the soonest she and her family could book another flight doesn’t leave until Tuesday afternoon.