Airlines have canceled more than 13,000 U.S. flights for Saturday and Sunday as a massive winter storm is forecast to bring a mix of ice, snow and frigid conditions to many parts of the country this weekend.
According to flight tracking service FlightAware, airlines have scrapped more than 4,000 flights for Saturday, while cancellations for Sunday soared to more than 9,400 — the most cancellations for a single day since the start of the COVID pandemic in March 2020.
In Oklahoma City, all Saturday flights at Will Rogers International Airport were called off. All Sunday morning flights were also canceled.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Nashville International Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport were among the hardest-hit airports.
Delta Air Lines said late Thursday that flight cancellations were “necessary at select airports in North Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee to ensure the safety of our customers and people.”
American Airlines, whose hub is DFW, said it was adding 17 extra flights in and out of DFW on Friday and Sunday to help the surge of travelers who were scrambling to make their trips. Eight of those were departing DFW on Friday, and nine would arrive at DFW on Sunday.
The airline also added another 17 flights on Saturday between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Dallas airport officials issued a winter weather advisory urging travelers passing through the flight hub to monitor road conditions, check their flight’s status with the airline before departure and keep tabs on the airport’s account on X for updates.
Major U.S. airlines were issuing travel waivers ahead of the storm, allowing customers to change their plans without penalty.
Delta said it has issued a travel waiver for the eastern U.S., including Boston, New York and Philadelphia, in addition to its previous waiver covering parts of central and southeastern U.S. states. Waivers allow travelers to rebook their flights, subject to some restrictions.
American Airlines on Wednesday said that passengers flying to, through or from 34 U.S. airports may change their flights for free if they bought tickets before Jan. 19 and are booked on flights between Jan. 23 and Jan. 25. Eligible customers can’t change their origin or destination cities, and must make any changes by Jan. 25.
