Lufthansa cancels all flights to & from NY

German airline Lufthansa on Saturday cancelled all flights to and from New York for the rest of the weekend as the US East Coast braces for the landing of hurricane Irene. Seven flights from Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf were to have flown to John F. Kennedy and Newark airports on Saturday, Lufthansa said. But American authorities announced on Friday that all New York airports would be closed for arrivals as of midday on Saturday. For Sunday, 11 Lufthansa flights to New York, Philadelphia and Boston have been scrapped, the company said on its website. The Category Two hurricane, packing winds of 100 miles (160 kilometres) per hour, was set to slam into the coast of North Carolina on Saturday before churning up the eastern seaboard towards Washington, New York and Boston. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered an unprecedented mass evacuation and the closure of the subway while US President Barack Obama cut short his summer vacation and returned to Washington. Lufthansa, on its website, said it is carefully monitoring the situation. Flights to Washington, D.C. are still operating, but due to the unpredictable situation last-minute cancelations may occur, the company said.