Well it seems that flying in and out of New York just got a bit harder. In fact, travel experts say that this airport has everything needed to create the “perfect storm.” Not only is JFK airport currently working on its biggest runway, which will be shut down during the spring and summer, but a new nationwide rule on tarmac delays could cause a lot of airlines to start canceling flights.

A huge overhaul will see the closing of one of the nation’s longest runways at JFK International Airport. This has prompted JetBlue, as well as Delta Air Lines, to ask for a temporary exemption at JFK to a rule that is designed to keep plane loads of passengers from getting stranded on the tarmac. A spokesman for American Airlines, Tim Smith, said that they are reviewing other carriers’ requests to see if they will take a similar action or not.

The United States Department of Transportation came up with a new law that is set to go into effect as of April 29^th. This is a rule that will see a very hefty fine for any airline that allows passengers to sit on the tarmac for more than three hours without letting the passengers get off. This new rule could see each airline fined $27,500 per passenger for the violation.

Airlines have, of course, voiced their objections to the three hour rule since it was announced way back in December. They said that this strict time limit reduces carriers’ ability to mitigate delays as circumstances change.

Kate Hanni, an air passenger consumer protection advocate, said that the fact is that airlines are already working actively to find loopholes and excuses to void compliance with the new consumer protection before the regulation even gets out the door. This continued hostility to the consumers has to stop, and this new law could do just that.