Originally Posted by
buckeyefanflyer
Looks like lots of cancelled flights tonight at EWR most RJ’s and others. Looks like most of the bad weather will be north of the airport. Why does this hub operation fall apart on a regular basis. Why not delay flights around weather and not cancel.
There is a finite capacity both at the airport and the airspace surrounding the airport at any given time.
When weather significantly impacts the area you lose that capacity. The remaining capacity is spoken for by other scheduled flights, pilots and flight attendants have duty limits, etc. Therefore it can be better to control the situation by proactively/strategically thinning the schedule rather that trying to fit 50 pounds of flights in a 30 pound sack and playing wheel of fortune with what is going to fall out.