Airlines cancel thousands of flights ahead of Northeast snow

New York - Airlines are cancelling 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.

Almost 1 900 flights scheduled for Monday have been cancelled, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware. Nearly 1 800 additional flights have been scrapped for Tuesday.

Also see: SAA cancels New York flights

 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.

The National Weather Service predicts 2 to 3 feet of snow for a 250-mile stretch of the Northeast, including the New York and Boston areas. Philadelphia should get 14 to 18 inches.