Most Logan flights canceled ahead of storm

All domestic flights into and out of Logan International Airport were canceled as early as 7:30 p.m. Monday as airport officials deal with the approach of a major East Coast snowstorm. The airport expects international flights to continue operating until after 10:30 p.m.

“This is going to be very challenging,” said Ed Freni, director of aviation at Massport. “Our goal is to stay ahead of the storm and keep the airport ready to start to ramp back up.”

Officials plan to keep the airport open and crews will continue to clear the runways. The airport expects to resume flights late Wednesday morning.

The last time Logan ceased flight operations was during a blizzard in February 2013. About 1,000 flights arrive and depart at the airport every day.

Airlines already have canceled about 35 percent of the flights that were scheduled to take off or land out of Logan on Monday. The airport expects that number to increase as the day progresses.

The changes have affected hundreds of Logan travelers.

“I’m stressed,” said Bethany Zimmerman, a 23-year-old from Pittsburgh. “This is my first time flying and it’s been an experience.”

Zimmerman was scheduled to return home on Monday after a long weekend visiting friends in Boston. Her JetBlue flight to Pittsburgh International Airport at 12:35 p.m. was canceled and the airline gave her a seat on another flight at 4:45 p.m. But as cancellations continued to grow, Zimmerman worried that she might not make it to Pittsburgh until after the storm.

“This is going to be the longest day of my life,” she said as she sat at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Terminal C next to the JetBlue ticket counter around 10 a.m. Monday.

Freni said Logan prepared hundreds of cots in each terminal for travelers who might be stranded at the airport.

Around the country, airlines canceled thousands of flights into and out of East Coast airports as a major snowstorm packing up to three feet of snow barrels down on the region.

JetBlue, whose flights are largely in the Northeast, has already canceled about a third of its entire schedule.

A traveler waited to board the Emirates Flight to Dubai, which was set to depart at 10:30 p.m., he last flight scheduled to leave Logan Airport before the blizzard.Matthew J. Lee/Globe staff

Airlines canceled 2,194 flights Monday, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware. More than 2,000 additional flights have been scrapped for Tuesday.

Problems in the Northeast are rippling outward, however.

In West Palm Beach, Fla., where temperatures are expected to be in the 70s Monday, about 30 percent of all flights have been canceled. Fort Lauderdale and Orlando are also reporting major cancellations.

Most major airlines are allowing customers whose flights are canceled in the next few days to book new flights without paying a penalty. Customers ticketed on flights to dozens of Eastern airports are generally eligible for the allowance, though specific terms vary by airline.

Bus companies also are cutting back their service. A notice on the website of Greyhound Lines said several planned trips between Boston and New York City, Buffalo, and Montreal would be canceled on Monday. The carrier BoltBus said some rides in the Northeast would be canceled after 5:00 p.m. Monday and all of its rides in the region would be canceled on Tuesday, and Megabus advised riders to check the status of their trips on its website. Commuter bus lines also said they would be curtailing their service.

Amtrak said its Downeaster service between Boston and Maine would operate as usual, but Acela and Northeast Corridor services will run at “reduced frequencies, mainly north of New York.”

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