Flights at Newark canceled, delayed ground Rutgers swimming & diving team

APP Sports Desk
| Asbury Park Press

The team was unable to get a flight out of Newark airport after experiencing significant delays.
Widespread flight cancellations and delays at Newark were reported, impacting numerous domestic and international routes.

Plans by the Rutgers women’s swimming and diving team to compete in a meet this weekend have been canceled due to travel issues, the school said Friday, Nov. 7.

The Scarlet Knights were set to compete on Friday and Saturday at Queens University of Charlotte but were unable to complete their scheduled travel to Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Rutgers team was at Newark airport throughout Thursday afternoon and night experiencing delays. Ultimately, the team was not able to get its anticipated flight to Charlotte.

More than 40 flights have been canceled at Newark as of 10:15 a.m. Friday, according to FlightAware.com, and nearly 50 delays from major airlines including United, Delta, American Airlines, and JetBlue flights. Most are flights out of Newark to Boston, Florida, Atlanta, and even international flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Johannesburg, South Africa. FlightAware’s MiseryMap shows dire conditions at Newark, behind O’Hare in Chicago, Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, and Dallas-Fort Worth.

Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy formally released the list of 40 airports – including Newark – facing cuts due to the government shutdown, stating that airlines will be required to slash 10% of flights from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., phasing them out over the next week.

Weather has also played a factor, with recent winds in New Jersey delaying flights and an arctic blast hitting New York and the eastern half of the U.S., dropping snow, winter weather warnings and frost across the region.

The Scarlet Knights’ swimmers and divers will next compete on Saturday, Nov. 15 with no air travel involved – the Scarlet Knights face in-state foe Princeton.