Most flights to the USA have now resumed, and travellers from the UK due to visit the east coast in the next few days are unlikely to find their journey affected, but should still contact their airline to check the situation beforehand, and not travel to the airport without a confirmed booking.
Some flights were still experiencing operational delays as crew or aircraft were not in the right place, and there was a backlog of passengers hoping to travel. Virgin and British Airways flights to New York are now going ahead as normal, although American Airlines said its flights to a number of airports, including Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, were still being affected by backlogs and high winds.
John Grant of OAG (oagaviation.com), which provides airline schedule data to airlines and airports around the world, said a small percentage of flights to a number of east coast airports were still being disrupted, including New York (especially Newark, where 25% of all inbound flights were cancelled), Washington and Pittsburg, as well as Toronto. Philadelphia airport was open again but passengers should still check with their airline.
Grant said that, as of Wednesday night, 19,200 flights had been affected by Sandy, inconveniencing 1.8 million passengers, and costing the top six airlines to the USA (including Jet Blue, Delta and United), $19m per day.
But the storm has affected aviation much less than the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano in 2010, which disrupted over 100,000 flights, inconveniencing seven million passengers, and cost the same six airlines $257 million per day.Passengers whose flights are due to depart, but who feel they do not want to fly because of the situation on the ground, will not be covered by travel insurance if they want to cancel, and airlines are under no obligation to offer a refund, alternative date or destination. However, even though its flights to New York are now going ahead, British Airways was offering passengers due to travel up to and including the 7 November, the flexibility to change their travel plans and rebook up to and including 30 November.
American Airlines was letting those due to travel to or through all three New York airports up until 7 November rearrange flights to travel before 20 December. This did not apply for other east coast airports.
The Association of British Travel Agents said tour operators are not legally required to let people reschedule package holidays unless they can't fulfil their terms of the holiday, eg providing the accommodation booked, or a reasonable equivalent. "If a holidaymaker wants to cancel because they think it's a bad time to visit then unfortunately they'll be subject to all the normal cancellation terms and conditions," said spokesperson Gillian Edwards.
Atol protection is not relevant to this situation, she said, adding that "Legally, if a package has been booked and the flight has been cancelled then the customer will be entitled to either rebook to an alternative date or cancel and receive a full refund. If they can fly out but are unable to stay in their booked accommodation then the tour operator must offer a reasonable alternative, which must be comparable to the booked accommodation (such as the same resort and the same price level). If the tour operator is unable to provide this then they will offer a refund." However some tour operators were still letting travellers change their arrangements, on a case by case basis, last week.
Abta has information at abta.com/consumer-services/travel_information/travel_disruption.
Tour America Direct has been rescheduling travel for customers due to travel this week, offering refunds, alternative dates or different routes. "We had someone on a New York and Orlando trip and they're simply reversing their itinerary," said marketing manager Veronica Aherne, "but we expect things to be back on course very soon."
Virgin Holidays said the majority of its customers are travelling as planned, but that "anyone due to travel on a package in the next few days whose hotel has been closed for safety reasons is being offered alternatives, the chance to rebook to a different date, or to cancel with a full refund."
Sandy hit Canada after the US, where the east coast has been affected by rain, strong winds and power cuts, and their were flight cancellations last week, but the Canadian Tourism Commission said it was not aware of any ongoing impact on British travellers, and that it had no reports of flights between the UK to Canada being affected, but travellers should check with their airline.
The main concern now for holidaymakers is what they will find when they arrive, but US tourist boards and tour companies reassured travellers that most holidays could continue as planned, and their visits are greatly appreciated by their hosts.
New York is quickly returning to normal, with all airports open, as well as most museums, shops and attractions in Manhattan, though some public transport is still affected and there is traffic congestion and powercuts downtown. The city's tourist board said the best place for up to date information on what's open, including events, attractions and restaurants is facebook.com/nyc. Sunday's New York marathon will ahead.
Washington's hospitality industry was "open for business and ready to welcome visitors" said the capital region's tourist board. Roads, public transport, museums, tours, hotels and attractions are operating as usual. Amtrak was still assessing its schedule for the north-east corridor, so those due to travel by train should check with their holiday company. Virginia and Maryland experienced no major incidents or damage, apart from heavy snow in western Maryland.
Flights to the Caribbean are all going ahead now, though the tourism industry is worrying about the effects on visitor numbers, particularly as a large number of visitors are from east coast America. The Jamaican Hotel and Tourist Association said 550,205 visitors came from that area last year, and it expected a drop in numbers for this winter period. Some hotels were offering discounts to encourage travellers, it said.
Sandy isn't the only wildly disruptive weather phenomenon at the moment. A typhoon hit Vietnam's coast, affecting some flights to Hanoi last week, and Cyclone Nilam hit Sri Lanka (mainly affecting the north but also causing heavy rain and flooding in Galle), and the south-east coast of India, where 4,000 people were evacuated from Chennai. Anyone due to travel to these areas should contact their holiday provider and airline to check if their trip is affected.
• For more see guardian.co.uk/world/hurricane-sandy
