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CNN Live Today
Snow Leaves Airports Running Late, Closed on East Coast
Aired February 17, 2003 - 10:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And we just learned that La Guardia Airport has been shut down now; so now that's another major airport on the east coast now that's been shut down because of this storm. This mess is going to get much worse for anybody trying to travel anywhere around the country today, no matter what the weather is like where you live.
Now this storm has already pounded the Nation's Capital; and the city finds itself digging out from more than two feet of snow in some places. Transportation is a mess, as you might imagine, on the roads in the Washington area, as well as at the airports there.
CNN's Patty Davis is at the Reagan National Airport. As we understand it, Patty, that airport has also been closed this morning.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has. It looks like nobody is going anywhere here today at Reagan National Airport or any other airport in the Washington, D.C. area. Reagan National closed since yesterday. It's supposed to open around 4:00 today; but look behind me -- you can see the runway. They have been working tirelessly to clear the runway. You can still see it's still completely snow covered planes just sitting idle out there.
Now Baltimore Washington International Airport hopes to open up this afternoon as well. Also, Dulles is saying that it has one runway open.
Now, not many people -- let's take a look over here at the actual driveway here coming up to Reagan National Airport. You can see nobody -- nobody here right now -- a couple police cars and one SUV -- they're driving down. We're about the only ones here.
Now the ones who are inside -- there are people who were stranded here overnight -- they decided to take a blanket that was offered to them by the airport and hang out at the airport, hoping that in fact, that they would be able to catch their flight when it started out today. But it looks like their hopes have been dashed, at least for any early departures here. As I said, Reagan looks like it's not going to open again till about 4:00.
And the problem that these airports are saying, is even if they do get these airports open, that the airlines are canceling. In fact, Delta told Reagan National here it will be operating no flights out of here today. United Airlines was telling me a little while ago that it will -- it has severely hampered operations in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York. So it just does not look good for travel here in the D.C. area today -- Leon.
HARRIS: Boy. All right, let's add to the woes, now -- what about BWI -Baltimore-Washington International Airport? What about that one, have you heard at all whether that airport's been shut down?
DAVIS: Airport is closed right now, hoping to open sometime this afternoon. I was told a little while ago by an airport spokeswoman, they've got 314 flight cancellations so far today -- a big number, so it's not looking good.
HARRIS: Boy, oh boy; what a mess. Thanks, Patty. All right, you be careful out there.
There we have the tally, folks, so far in the Washington area, now, with those three airports there -- Dulles International Airport now down to one runway operating; Reagan National shut down; and Baltimore-Washington International -- that one also shut down. Boy, what a mess this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 17, 2003 - 10:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And we just learned that La Guardia Airport has been shut down now; so now that's another major airport on the east coast now that's been shut down because of this storm. This mess is going to get much worse for anybody trying to travel anywhere around the country today, no matter what the weather is like where you live.
Now this storm has already pounded the Nation's Capital; and the city finds itself digging out from more than two feet of snow in some places. Transportation is a mess, as you might imagine, on the roads in the Washington area, as well as at the airports there.
CNN's Patty Davis is at the Reagan National Airport. As we understand it, Patty, that airport has also been closed this morning.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has. It looks like nobody is going anywhere here today at Reagan National Airport or any other airport in the Washington, D.C. area. Reagan National closed since yesterday. It's supposed to open around 4:00 today; but look behind me -- you can see the runway. They have been working tirelessly to clear the runway. You can still see it's still completely snow covered planes just sitting idle out there.
Now Baltimore Washington International Airport hopes to open up this afternoon as well. Also, Dulles is saying that it has one runway open.
Now, not many people -- let's take a look over here at the actual driveway here coming up to Reagan National Airport. You can see nobody -- nobody here right now -- a couple police cars and one SUV -- they're driving down. We're about the only ones here.
Now the ones who are inside -- there are people who were stranded here overnight -- they decided to take a blanket that was offered to them by the airport and hang out at the airport, hoping that in fact, that they would be able to catch their flight when it started out today. But it looks like their hopes have been dashed, at least for any early departures here. As I said, Reagan looks like it's not going to open again till about 4:00.
And the problem that these airports are saying, is even if they do get these airports open, that the airlines are canceling. In fact, Delta told Reagan National here it will be operating no flights out of here today. United Airlines was telling me a little while ago that it will -- it has severely hampered operations in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York. So it just does not look good for travel here in the D.C. area today -- Leon.
HARRIS: Boy. All right, let's add to the woes, now -- what about BWI -Baltimore-Washington International Airport? What about that one, have you heard at all whether that airport's been shut down?
DAVIS: Airport is closed right now, hoping to open sometime this afternoon. I was told a little while ago by an airport spokeswoman, they've got 314 flight cancellations so far today -- a big number, so it's not looking good.
HARRIS: Boy, oh boy; what a mess. Thanks, Patty. All right, you be careful out there.
There we have the tally, folks, so far in the Washington area, now, with those three airports there -- Dulles International Airport now down to one runway operating; Reagan National shut down; and Baltimore-Washington International -- that one also shut down. Boy, what a mess this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
