JFK Airport Delays Continue After Weekend Of Chaos

QUEENS, NY — Nearly 20 flights out of John F. Kennedy Airport were delayed Monday morning after last week's "bomb cyclone" snow storm created a weekend of chaos there. Some 19 flights from the Queens airport faced delays averaging 31 minutes as of 11:15 a.m. Monday, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

The airport warned of delays Monday morning, advising travelers to allow extra time in their schedules. Delayed flights were headed to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and Boston, according to a FlightAware map.

The New York City area's busiest airport was shut down for part of Thursday as the blizzard-like winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow on some parts of the city. The storm caused a "cascading series of issues" that led nearly 100 flights to be canceled and 17 others diverted on Saturday, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport.

The Port Authority on Sunday pledged to investigate the cause of a water main break that shut down the airports Terminal 4 for about six hours that afternoon.

The closure left many passengers stranded and diverted several incoming international flights before the terminal reopened around 8 p.m., the Port Authority said. FlightAware reported inbound delays averaging two and a half hours on Sunday.

"What happened at JFK Airport is unacceptable, and travelers expect and deserve better," Rick Cotton, the Port Authority's executive director, said in a statement. "While the water pipe break that occurred appears to be weather-related, we have launched an investigation into the incident to determine exactly what occurred and why an internal pipe was not weather protected and whether any other failures contributed to this disruption."

Travelers reported chaos in the airport on Sunday as frustrated passengers and airport staff exchanged harsh words. Photos posted to social media showed suitcases strewn about the baggage claim area.

(Lead image: Passengers wait for delayed flights as a "bomb cyclone" snow storm pounds New York City on Thursday, Jan. 4. Photo by Rebecca Butala How/Getty Images)