US: Winter storm Niko grounds Orlando International Airport flights

Winter storm Niko prompted the cancellations of 148 flights coming to or departing from Orlando International Airport across multiple airlines as of 6 p.m. Thursday. Airlines affected include American, Delta, Spirit, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest and United. Flights to the following destinations, across all the affected airlines, have been cancelled: Washington, D.C.; Boston; New York; Baltimore; Philadelphia; Providence, R.I.; and Hartford, Conn. Another 52 flights have been delayed, including 24 departures and 28 arrivals, airport officials said. Cancellations included 69 departures and 79 arrivals. Orlando International officials said those numbers included notifications from airlines for flights until midnight. Niko is expected to dump up to 18 inches of snow in some parts of New England. The storm will continue moving west to east across that section of the country, having started in western Pennsylvania and parts of West Virginia around 4 a.m. In advance of Niko, many airlines have posted travel alerts warning passengers their flights could be cancelled. Airlines have also offered to waive re-booking and cancellation fees as a result of the storm.<br/>