Alaska Deputy Director of Fire Protection Norm McDonald discusses what it takes to stop the spread of wildfires on ‘Cavuto: Coast to Coast.’
American Airlines is allowing passengers to rebook their flights Thursday without fees as wildfire smoke from Canada is continuing to impact operations at airports throughout the Northeast.
The airline says passengers traveling through certain airports in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., may now have their change fees waived if they bought tickets by June 7 and want to travel to the same destination city, among other conditions.
“When severe weather or other uncontrollable events impact your flight and travel dates, you may be able to change your trip with no change fee,” according to a portion of its website. “We understand you may have questions about your upcoming travel. We’re working around the clock to care for you on your travel journey.”
The move from American Airlines comes as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has delayed flights at five major U.S. airports so far on Thursday.
FAA DELAYS FLIGHTS FOR 5 MAJOR US AIRPORTS SO FAR, AS CANADA WILDFIRE SMOKE IMPACTS VISIBILITY
JetBlue and American Airlines planes are seen at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Thursday. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Major airports that have been impacted by the FAA’s actions include New York City’s LaGuardia International Airport, Newark International Airport in New Jersey and Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania.
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The smoky blanket billowing from wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia, sending plumes of fine particulate matter as far away as North Carolina and Northern Europe, should persist into Thursday and possibly the weekend.
UNITED AIRLINES PILOTS UNION MOVES CLOSER TO STRIKE
A Southwest Airlines plane approaches LaGuardia Airport in New York on Wednesday. (AP/David R. Martin / AP Images)
The weather system that is driving the great Canadian-American smokeout — a low-pressure system over Maine and Nova Scotia — “will probably be hanging around at least for the next few days,” U.S. National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Ramsey said.
“Conditions are likely to remain unhealthy, at least until the wind direction changes or the fires get put out,” Ramsey said. “Since the fires are raging — they’re really large — they’re probably going to continue for weeks. But it’s really just going be all about the wind shift.”
People run at the base of the Washington Monument in a thick layer of smoke in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (AP/Jose Luis Magana / AP Images)
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Across the eastern U.S., officials warned residents to stay inside and limit or avoid outdoor activities again Thursday, extending “Code Red” air quality alerts in some places for a third-straight day.
In Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered schools to cancel outdoor recess, sports and field trips Thursday. In suburban Philadelphia, officials set up an emergency shelter so people living outside can take refuge from the haze.
FOX Business’ Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
