Hurricane Sandy Tips from Twitter

UPDATED 11/01/2012 -- Thank you to our community for the warm response in opening their homes to either stranded travelers or displaced locals. If you'd like to share your home, you can do so easily and safely via Tripping.com. If you're a member of Tripping, you can tweet a link to your profile and label your tweet with the hashtag #sandywithme. Or email us at: [email protected] with the subject line: Sandy. Not a member of Tripping yet? Join here.

Hurricane Superstorm Sandy has impacted the lives and travels of millions. If you're traveling to the Northeast this week, the aftermath of the storm will continue to affect transportation. To help travelers, we have rounded up some "Hurricane Sandy tips from Twitter" in one convenient spot. Safe travels!

The WYNC Transit Tracker is a great resource featuring "The latest info on transportation outages around New York and New Jersey, updated by WNYC," including ferries, buses, airports and Amtrak. Check it out:

There's lots of valuable information American Airlines Travel Alerts, last updated today, October 30th. For example:

Additionally, we will be unable to operate at the following airports until at least midday on Wednesday:

Baltimore, MD (BWI)

Charleston, WV (CRW)

Harrisburg, PA (MDT)

Philadelphia, PA (PHL)

Washington Dulles, VA (IAD)

Washington Reagan National, D.C. (DCA)

Westchester County / White Plains, NY (HPN)

When will American Airlines start operations out of NY area airports? New York Kennedy (JFK), New York LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark (EWR)? "We anticipate starting operations....sometime Thursday."

The United Airlines Travel Notices page has a wealth of information, including flight change and refund policies. Travelers can view the current status of United's operations on the Today's Operations page.

The following cities may experience flight delays due to weather conditions:

Detroit, Chicago, Calgary (Canada), San Diego.

The following airports are closed due to weather:

Newark, New York-John F Kennedy, New York-La Guardia

This link includes complete details on the effects of Hurricane Sandy on JetBlue flights. For flights into and out of certain airports, Jet Blue is offering fee waivers for changes or cancellations.

For the latest updates on Lufthansa flights to and from the U.S., their travel information page is the place to go. Of note, flights to JFK will be cancelled on the morning of October 31, 2012 but expected to be operating in the afternoon and evening.

The latest on the effects of Sandy on Air France can be found on the Air France Flash Info page. If you're flying to or from Washington or NYC, the following will be of interest:

The flight schedule to and from Washington will resume with the usual timetable as from tomorrow October 31.

The reopening of New York airport, subject to local airport authorities' approval, is expected tomorrow October 31 at 12h00 (New York local time). Our flight schedule on October 31 to and from New York is maintained and will offer additional seats. However timetable may be modified.

Interestingly, of the airlines we stalked on Twitter, Virgin America was the only one to clearly express sympathy for those affected by Sandy.

Travelers can find lots of great info on Virgin America's Hurricane Sandy Travel Advisory page, including the answer to the following important questino:

What airports are affected? The Hurricane is forecast to impact flights through Wednesday, October 31st at the following airports:

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

Reagan National Airport (DCA)

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)

Virgin America travelers are also encouraged to check their Flight Status before leaving for the airport: http://virginamerica.com/flight-status.html.

Oh wait. It seems Delta also says their hearts go out to those affected by Sandy. Their East Coast Storm page shows you info on rescheduling flights. And like Virgin America, they urge travelers to check their Flight Status.

Updates as of 10/31/2012:

A bit of good news from the NYC Mayor's Office:

And for any long-term travelers (or members of our community who live in the NY area) who need assistance, go to disasterassistance.gov to register for aid.

Breaking news (in Spanish but we've got your back) - The Hudson Ferry is open but the following remain closed: Holland, Queens Midtown, Brooklyn Battery & South Ferry.

Limited commuter rail starts today and limited #NYC subway service begins Thursday.

For a constant stream of updates, stay tuned to the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo's tweets via @NYGovCuomo (https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo).

Updates as of 11/01/2012:

You now know where to go if you need help finding internet and mobile service in NYC this week...

...And where to find mobile wi-fi hotspots & charging stations in NYC.

AND IF YOU WANT TO HELP OTHERS AFFECTED BY #SANDY HERE'S HOW:

You can volunteer via the Hurricane Sandy Volunteer Signup page:

Or you can check out this great list of Sandy relief volunteer opportunities:

Also, we put together our own list of Sandy relief volunteer and donation opportunities.

Or you can open your home to either stranded travelers or displaced locals easily and safely via Tripping.com. If you're a member of Tripping, you can tweet a link to your profile and label your tweet with the hashtag #sandywithme. Or email us at: [email protected] with the subject line: Sandy.

Not a member of Tripping yet? Join here.

If you have been displaced by Superstorm #Sandy and need an affordable alternative to a hotel, take a look at the many local homes available throughout the region on Tripping.com. For easy reference, here are the links to local homes you can rent in the following cities:

Short-term rental homes in the New York area

Short-term rental homes in the DC area

Short-term rental homes in the Baltimore area

Short-term rental homes in New Jersey

Short-term rental homes in Massachusetts

Short-term rental homes in Your Area

USEFUL TWITTER ACCOUNTS TO FOLLOW FOR UPDATES ON TRAVEL + #SANDY:

Airlines:

@AmericanAir

@Delta

@HuffPostTravel

@JetBlue

@Lufthansa_USA

@United

@VirginAmerica

NY Updates:

@NYGovCuomo

Breaking News:

@cnnbrk

@CNNweather

@DeltaNewsroom

@NBCNewsTravel

There's no doubt, Twitter's a great resource for travelers, especially in cases of inclement weather.

Have a great tweet you've come across related to #Sandy? Leave a comment!

** Last Updated 11/01/2012