The scenes have become familiar at airports this winter: snow swirling amid planes stacked up on the tarmac, passengers whiling away hours of delays, making exasperated calls to reservation agents.
Winter hit travelers with a vengeance once again on Monday. In Boston, where more than a foot of snow fell, over two-thirds of flights were canceled at Logan International Airport. At La Guardia, in New York, it was more than half, with about a third of flights called off at Newark and a quarter at Kennedy.
But unlike last year, when large portions of the Midwest and East Coast were paralyzed by the unusually harsh weather, this winter’s delays have been concentrated in the Northeast. And for those travelers who have been hit by the delays, they have been hit hard.
Patti Welk-Thompson was stranded for three days in Orlando after a convention early this month, trying to get home to Delaware.
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In addition, planes of all sizes are fuller than ever before, delivering more revenue to airlines, but more headaches to travelers trying to find an empty seat when they need to rebook. “When flights are canceled, load factors are so high on airplanes it takes a long time to accommodate passengers, and that’s a real problem,” said Darryl Jenkins, chairman of the American Aviation Institute.
It can also be expensive. Ms. Welk-Thompson made use of her three-day hiatus in Orlando, working on a plan to increase her sales, but she said she was depending on those efforts to pay off, since being stranded cost her around $800 in lodging, food and incidentals.
“It’s going to have to come out of the money for my business,” she said. “I’m hoping I can recoup that money.”
A version of this article appears in print on February 10, 2015, on page B6 of the New York edition with the headline: In Northeast, a Winter to Forget. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
