(AP) – Most airlines are giving up on flying into and out of New York and Boston and other airports in the Northeast.

With a massive snowstorm forming, the major U.S. airlines plan to quit flying in the New York-area airports, Boston, and other big Northeastern airports on Friday afternoon. They’re hoping to resume flights on Saturday.

Flight-tracking website FlightAware says airlines have canceled 3,400 flights on Friday and Saturday in advance of a storm threatening to dump snow by the foot onto the Northeast.

Many travelers were steering clear of that part of the country altogether. Airlines were waiving the usual fees to change tickets.

Airlines try to get ahead of big storms by canceling flights in advance rather than crossing their fingers that they can operate in bad weather.