3,000+ flights canceled Wednesday, Thursday amid Winter Storm Landon
A massive winter storm is set to deliver a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain to a large swath of the country, upending many travel plans.
Southwest Airlines had canceled nearly 400 Wednesday flights as of 8 a.m. ET Wednesday, roughly 12% of its flight schedule. Another 513 Southwest flights for Thursday were canceled, according to flight tracker FlightAware.
In all, nearly 1,400 Wednesday flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled, and more than 1,600 were canceled for Thursday across airlines.
“Our operationa planners are carefully tracking Winter Storm Landon as it moves eastward across the United States and making adjustments to our schedule as necessary,” Southwest spokesperson Dan Landson told USA TODAY via email. “We encourage travelers to visit Southwest.com to view their flight status and review the latest travel advisories, which includes flexible travel accommodations.”
The latest round of flight cancellations comes less than a week after a powerful nor’easter canceled thousands of flights over the weekend. More than 5,600 U.S. flights were canceled between Friday and Sunday.
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A number of airlines have issued travel waivers, allowing passengers affected by the storm to switch their flights with no penalty.
Southwest Airlines
The airline issued several travel advisories this week, warning that flights “may be disrupted” due to weather. Advisories covered:
► Flights to, from and through various airports in New Mexico or Colorado scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday.
► Flights to, from and through various airports in Texas, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky, Kansas, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Arkansas or Pennsylvania scheduled Wednesday or Thursday.
► Flights to, from and through Dallas Love Field Airport on Friday.
Travelers can rebook a flight in their original class or travel standby within 14 days of the original travel date. The rebooked flight must be to and from the same cities to avoid any additional charges. Customers can reschedule online, on the Southwest app or by calling customer service at 1-800-435-9792.
American Airlines
The airline has so far issued two travel alerts for the winter storm.
► Passengers who had booked flights in, from and through various airports in New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island as well as Montreal and Toronto, Canada can rebook a flight without a change fee if they had purchased their ticket by Feb. 1 and for travel scheduled between Wednesday and Friday. The rebooked flight must take place on or before Feb. 7 and have the same origin and destination cities. Changes must be booked by Friday.
► Additionally, passengers who had booked flights in, from and through various airports in Ohio, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arkansas, Wisconsin and Tennessee can rebook a flight without a change fee if they had purchased their ticket by Jan. 31 for travel scheduled between Tuesday and Thursday. The rebooked flight must take place on or before Feb. 6 and have the same origin and destination cities. Changes must be booked by Thursday.
Travelers must rebook in the same cabin and the trip must be completed within one year of the original ticket date to avoid paying a difference in fare.
United Airlines
United has issued waivers for travelers across the country who may be affected by the winter storm.
► Travelers who had planned to fly between Wednesday and Friday can have their change fee waived if their flight was supposed to go to, from or through various airports in New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Rhode Island as well as Quebec and Ontario, Canada. The original ticket must have been purchased by Jan. 30, and passengers can rebook flights scheduled between Jan. 31 and Feb. 7.
► Travelers who had purchased a plane ticket for travel between Tuesday and Thursday can have their change fee waived if they had purchased their original ticket by Jan. 29 for flights to, from and through various airports in Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Kansas, Arkansas, Indiana, New Mexico, Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Colorado. Rebooked flights can take place between Jan. 30 and Feb. 6.
Delta Air Lines
Delta warns that winter weather “may impact” travel in various destinations in the U.S. and Canada.
► Travelers scheduled to fly to, from or through various airports in Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Kansas between Wednesday and Thursday can have their fare difference waived if they rebook travel that begins on or before Monday in the same cabin.
► Travelers scheduled to fly to, from or through various airports in New York, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C. and Ontario, Canada between Wednesday and Friday can have their fare difference waived if they rebook travel that begins on or before Tuesday in the same cabin.
► Travelers scheduled to fly to, from or through various airports in Colorado and New Mexico between Wednesday and Thursday can have their fare difference waived if they rebook travel that begins no later than Monday.
► Travelers scheduled to fly to, from or through various airports in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri between Wednesday and Thursday can have their fare difference waived if they rebook travel that begins no later than Monday.
The airline suggests travelers check their flight status “frequently” for up-to-date information on their flight plans.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Bailey Schulz on Twitter: @bailey_schulz.
