Thousands of flights have been canceled ahead of one of the worst winter storms in recent U.S. memory.
The first snowflakes from the storm have yet to fall, but airlines are already starting to cancel flights in response to what the Weather Channel is calling a “winter storm fern.”
More than 350 flights had been canceled on Friday as of 10:50 p.m. ET Thursday, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. Saturday’s schedule took a bigger hit, with more than 1,065 flights booked. All told, that means airlines have canceled more than 1,400 flights for Friday and Saturday as of Thursday evening, and that number is sure to increase.
The early cancellations come after forecasters warned for days that a potentially devastating winter storm could bring heavy snow and ice to a swath of the U.S. from Texas and the Deep South north to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Airlines have also been warning of the storm’s potential impact on flight schedules, and most of the largest U.S. carriers have rolled out flexible rebooking policies for airports in line with the system’s expected path.
winter weather exemption: Alaska Airlines | Loyalty | American | Delta | Frontier | JetBlue | Southwest | Spirit | United
Now, airlines have begun canceling flights to prevent planes, crews and passengers from being stranded as the situation worsens.
Several of the nation’s busiest airports are at risk of significant disruption through Monday, including Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport and home to Delta Air Lines’ largest hub. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) – the second-busiest airport in the United States – could also see major disruptions due to icy and cold weather.
Major hubs serving New York, Charlotte, Washington, Philadelphia and Boston are also expected to be affected before the storm leaves the Northeast on Monday.
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Delta Air Lines was the first to report flight disruptions ahead of the storm, saying late Thursday that “early flight cancellations are necessary at select airports in North Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee to ensure the safety of our customers and employees.”
Delta is not alone. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines has canceled more than 90 flights on Friday and an additional 235 flights on Saturday, FlightAware shows. American Airlines, whose busiest hub is at DFW, had canceled more than 550 mainline flights as of Saturday night.
“We are redeploying aircraft, realigning crew resources and strengthening staffing at key airports while coordinating with our partners to help minimize disruption and set the stage for a rapid and safe recovery once conditions improve,” American Airlines said in a statement late Thursday.
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Travelers flying between now and early next week should prepare for possible disruptions on all airlines, possibly even in parts of the country outside the storm’s path. For example, a flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco could be delayed or canceled if the plane or crew scheduled to operate the flight gets stuck in icy Atlanta or snowy Philadelphia.
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