Weather NYC: Thousands of transatlantic travellers face serious disruption caused by New York winter storm 'Juno'

A dozen outbound flights from Heathrow to New York, Philadelphia and Boston have already been cancelled

The US east coast is preparing for massive snow storms

Thousands of transatlantic travellers between the UK and the north-east US face serious disruption today and tomorrow as a result of extreme winter weather affecting cities from Washington DC to Boston.

The US National Weather Service said: “The stage is being set for a major nor'easter to affect parts of the Northeast Monday through Wednesday. This system will be responsible for heavy snowfall and strong winds, with blizzard conditions possible along coastal areas from New Jersey to Massachusetts.”

The winter storm, named Juno, is already causing disruption across the Atlantic. So far a dozen outbound flights from Heathrow to New York, Philadelphia and Boston have already been cancelled - seven by British Airways, two by Virgin Atlantic, two by American Airlines and one by Delta.

BA has also cancelled its afternoon business-class flight from London City to New York.

The airline warned that other departures are likely to be delayed: “Many flights may need to have de-icing treatment on their wings, engines and fuselage, before they are cleared for take-off and this might also lead to some flight delays throughout the day. We apologise for the inconvenience the poor weather has caused but the safety of our customers is our top priority.”

Even if a passenger reaches their initial destination in the north-east US, they may face further problems. Hundreds of US internal flights have been cancelled, with passengers urged to postpone their journeys.

Delta alone has pre-emptively grounded 600 departures today.

Passengers booked to travel to or from the region today or tomorrow on BA or Virgin can postpone their trip until Friday without penalty.