Flights out of ROC picking back up after cancellations and delays Monday morning

Alexandra Weaver

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Air traffic at the Frederick Douglass-Greater Rochester International Airport is picking back up after the snowstorm led to lots of cancellations and delays Monday morning.

News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke went on a ride-along with Operations Coordinator Mike Jodoin at the airport.

There are still some flights taking off, though not many. They are getting de-iced.

A crew of about 10 drivers is working hard to keep the main runway clear so that the flights that are still on can take off.

Jodoin and his crew are also responsible for helping pilots land safely in less-than-ideal conditions.

Jodoin: "Pilots will be talking to us… you got a remember when they’re coming in, they can’t see anything so they’re trusting our word to the tower that talks to them and I’m sure the passengers are nervous looking out when all they see is white so…"

Lewke: "But it’s Rochester, Upstate New York, we’re used to this."

Jodoin: "Oh yea, yea."

Jodoin said snow is not the worst type of weather when it comes to grounding planes.

"The main thing here that we don’t like is freezing rain," Jodoin said. "That’s just too tough but you’re allowed two inches of dry snow on the runway and a half-inch of wet snow, any more than that and you have to close down so that’s again why we’re on there constantly and again out here. We don’t use salt. We use sand and potassium to keep our runway fresh."

Stay tuned to News10NBC Monday for extended coverage on the snowstorm.

Click here for the latest from FlightAware.

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