JFK clusterfuck coming

From the NY Times:

The average delay at Kennedy International Airport lasts more than an hour; one in every five flights left late last year; and its performance ranks in the bottom third of major American airports.

And that is before its biggest runway shuts down.

Starting in March, Runway 13R-31L, the war horse of Kennedy’s four, will close for four months of repairs. At 14,572 feet, the runway is the second-longest commercial landing strip in the country — and it handles a third of the airport’s total air traffic, including more than half of its departures.

The shutdown, part of a continuing project to reduce delays at the airfield, will mean fewer flights out of New York on major carriers like Delta and JetBlue, particularly in June, the traditional start of the summer rush. It could increase delays at an airport already notorious for long waits: Of the 46 most frequently delayed domestic flight routes last spring, half involved an arrival or departure at J.F.K..

And travelers may want to hold up a finger before heading to the terminal: Winds coming in the wrong direction for the other runways could create serious backups on the tarmac.