Hundreds of US flights cancelled due to snow

Hundreds of flights were cancelled to and from Chicago''s busy airports Friday, disrupting air travel across the country as an arctic storm dumped heavy snow in the region. As of 3.30 pm (2130 GMT) a total of 700 flights had been cancelled at Chicago''s O''Hare International Airport - the second busiest in the country after Atlanta - and Midway International Airport.
Both airports reported "significant delays and cancellations," the Chicago Department of Aviation said. O''Hare is a major hub for United Airlines and American Airlines, two major US carriers, while Midway is used by low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines. The greater Chicago area, home to nearly 10 million people, was under a winter storm warning Friday until midnight as a storm moving from the central United States pounded the region with snow, sleet and freezing rain. The city''s full fleet of around 280 snowplows was on duty, but struggled to keep the main roads clear. Snow fell so quickly that, fearing accidents, Chicago officials ordered city buses off Lake Shore Drive, the busy highway that runs alongside Lake Michigan.