More than 2,000 Wednesday flights canceled
Ongoing winter weather situations across the US continue to cause flight disruptions
By Lilit Marcus, CNN
Ongoing winter weather situations across the US continue to cause flight disruptions, with more than 2,000 flights already canceled for Wednesday.
The effects of ice storms in the central and southern parts of the country have caused thousands of delayed or canceled flights across a wide swath of the US this week.
As of 11 a.m. ET Wednesday, 2,172 flights within, into or out of the US have been canceled, according to airplane tracking website FlightAware, with about 1,500 delayed.
Three airports in Texas — Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW), Dallas Love Field (DAL) and Austin Bergstrom International (AUS) — are facing the most significant challenges.
About 1,300 flights to or from DFW had already been canceled by Wednesday morning.
The hardest-hit airlines are also based in Texas, namely American (whose headquarters is near DFW) and Southwest (whose home base is in Dallas).
On Monday, Southwest Airlines issued a winter weather waiver across a dozen airports in Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky. The waiver applies to affected travel between January 30 to February 1.
American Airlines updated its winter weather waiver on Tuesday to include nearly 20 airports for travel from January 29 to February 2.
Several airports took to Twitter to keep travelers updated on January 31.
“Roads on airport property have been treated,” DAL posted on its feed. “However, they are still icy/slushy due to the ongoing storm. We recommend driving very slowly if you visit us.”
Louisville International Airport posted on Twitter: “The SDF Snow Team will be working overnight to keep the airfield operational for our airline partners. Weather impacts are possible and travelers should monitor their flight status via the airline’s app or website for current information prior to arriving at the airport.”
Significant freezing rain and sleet have accumulated across much of the Southern Plains and Mid-South due to a prolonged period of wintery weather over the last few days.
Top: A customer speaks with a gate agent at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on January 31, 2023. Photo via Getty Images.
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CNN’s Marnie Hunter and Monica Garrett contributed reporting.
