“Frankenstorm” not affecting area flights... Yet

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From left: Matt McFadden, Liam Miller, Jose Pineda and Justin Mogavero of Cape May, board windows along Jackson Street in Cape May, N.J., Friday Oct. 26, 2012. A year after being walloped by Hurricane Irene, residents rushed to put away boats, harvest crops and sandbag boardwalks Friday as the Eastern Seaboard braced for a rare megastorm that experts said would cause much greater havoc. (AP Photo/The Press of Atlantic City, Dale Gerhard)

As the East Coast awaits the arrival of this weekend’s Frankenstorm, travelers across the nation prepare for their trips and arrangements to be shuffled about. While the storm is still a few days out, preparations have begun, including some airlines offering customers the option of changing their flight without the standard steep change fee (as much as $150). According to the Wall Street Journal, JetBlue, US Airways and Spirit Airlines have offered travelers waivers already with other airlines prepping to announce their plans soon. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh International Airport is preparing itself to be a makeshift hub for diverted planes fleeing the storm.

As for the storm’s effect on local flights, that likely won’t be felt until much closer to the storm’s landfall. As of 8 p.m. Friday night, the only cancellations out of O’Hare were flights to Minneapolis; Midway had no cancellations.

Chicago-based ComEd is preparing to help, though, sending 250 crews comprised of over 600 workers – 80 ComEd utility crews (160 people), 48 contractor utility crews (190 people), 122 contractor vegetation management crews (250+ people) – to Philadelphia and Baltimore where the company has sister companies.

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