More than 16,000 flights canceled by super storm Sandy

Super storm Sandy continued its devastation on the nation’s transportation system, closing at least eight major airports and canceling more than 16,000 flights.

JOIN US AT 2:30 P.M. FOR A LIVE VIDEO DISCUSSION

Although the eye of the storm has moved west, away from the major East Coast airports, airlines began early Tuesday to cancel flights for Wednesday, increasing the likelihood that regular flights won’t begin for several days.

In the period stretching from Saturday to Wednesday, the nation’s airlines have canceled 16,271 flights, according to the airline monitoring website Flightstats.com.

PHOTOS: Hurricane Sandy approaches

The cancellation total for Sandy now surpasses the 15,000 or so flights during Hurricane Irene in August 2011.

As of Tuesday morning, Flightstats said the following airports are closed: Atlantic City International, Newark Liberty International, Morristown Municipal and Teterboro in New Jersey; Groton-New London and New Haven in Connecticut; and John F. Kennedy International and La Guardia in New York.

In addition, Chicago O’Hare International Airport remains open but flights are delayed up to two hours and 45 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

MAP: Hurricane Sandy barrels in

The storm’s effects have reached Los Angeles International Airport where 103 flights in and out of the airport were canceled Tuesday.

Airline officials urge passengers to check with their carrier on the status of their flights before driving to an airport. The FAA has provided an online page that includes links to most of the nation’s largest airlines.

Join us at 2:30 p.m. PT for a live video discussion via Google+ Hangout on how the storm has disrupted air travel. You can join the conversation by posting comments below or on The Times’ Facebook and Google Plus pages or on Twitter using the #asklatimes hashtag.

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