Airlines are canceling thousands of U.S. flights ahead of the massive winter storm that’s forecast to bring a mix of ice, snow and frigid conditions to a 2,000-mile expanse of the country this weekend.
Delta Air Lines said late Thursday that flight cancellations “are necessary at select airports in North Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee to ensure the safety of our customers and people.”
According to flight tracking service FlightAware, airlines had scrapped 578 flights in the U.S. as of 5:15 p.m. Eastern time, with an additional approximately 2,500 flights already canceled for Saturday. Many of the disruptions are occurring at Texas airports, including 1,224 cancellations scheduled for Saturday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, FlightAware data shows.
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.
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 are 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.
