Expect Flight Delays Out of Manchester Airport

At Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, Tom Malafronte said all eyes are on Irene.

Malafronte, assistant airport director, air service development and marketing, said travelers should expect to see some flight delays and cancellations tonight if they had plans to head to mid-Atlantic states like Washington, D.C., and North Carolina as airports and airlines have started making decisions on travel and airport safety as Irene approaches to our south.

In terms of flights leaving Manchester that aren't headed to states being affected already, he said decisions will likely begin being made by tomorrow afternoon (Aug. 28) and all flight cancellations, changes and delays are determined by the various airports that operate out of the facility.

"At this point we're anticipating there will be some cancellations tomorrow afternoon and evening," Malafronte said. "We're not sure what schedules will be like Sunday, but right now looking at very limited if any service on Sunday."

Malafronte encouraged travelers who are scheduled to fly this weekend to communicate with the individual airlines to determine the status of flights as well as discuss options when it comes to refunds and flight changes.

He said a number of airlines are waiving their ticket change fees allowing travelers who can be flexible with their dates the option square away their plans early on.

"We definitely anticipate a quiet day on Sunday," he said.

Manchester-Boston Regional Airport works as a landlord, essentially, Malafronte said, leasing space to Southwest, U.S., United, Continental and Delta airlines, who travel all over the country. 

He said the airport itself has already reviewed scheduling and put plans in place for making sure the grounds are monitored throughout the weekend for any sort of storm-related damage or problems.

"We are approaching this as we would a major snowstorm," Malafronte said. 

He said the airport has coordinated staffing needs for the weekend and will do regular inspections of the grounds and facilities as the storm moves through.

For more info throughout the weekend, visit flymanchester.com or follow them on Twitter.