Flight Cancellations Pile Up as Winter Weather Slams Parts of U.S.

Overnight snow across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States, coupled with freezing rain over the Pacific Northeast, has created headaches for travelers Tuesday morning, as airports and airlines fight to stay on track during one of the first major storms of 2024.

According to the latest update from the National Weather Service (NWS), which was issued early on Tuesday morning, “a fast-moving upper-trough and coastal low-pressure system [is] bringing moderate to heavy snowfall across the Mid-Atlantic following widespread wintry conditions in the Mid-Deep South.”

“At the same time, Winter Weather Advisories cover the Mid-Atlantic to New England, with minor to locally moderate impacts expected and an additional 2-4 inches of snow expected in New York State,” the NWS said.

As of 7:30 a.m. EST on Tuesday morning, here are the airports with the most outbound cancellations and delays, according to FlightAware:

• Nashville International: 58 flights cancelled (20% of its total outbound schedule) and another 13 delayed (4%).
• Houston Bush International: 57 flights cancelled (10% of its outbound schedule) and another 23 delayed (4%).
• Chicago Midway: 46 flights cancelled (18% of its outbound schedule) and another 16 (6%) delayed.
• Chicago O’Hare: 45 flights cancelled (5% of its outbound schedule) and another 26 delayed.
• Denver International: 45 flights cancelled (5% of its outbound schedule) and another 21 delayed.
• LaGuardia: 44 flights were cancelled (8% of its outbound schedule) and another 77 delayed (14%).

There are also growing cancellations at other airports, including Newark Liberty, Reagan National in D.C., and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. All travelers in any city hit by winter weather overnight are encouraged to check with their airline before heading to the airport.

Airlines have continued to issue waivers to flyers impacted by the weather.

Alaska Airlines has a general waiver covering both the winter weather and the impact of the Boeing 737-9 MAX groundings. Alaska’s waiver runs through Jan. 18 and covers flights system-wide.

American Airlines has a blanket winter weather waiver for airports in the Eastern U.S., including most airports in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and more. That full waiver includes flights through Jan. 16.

Delta Air Lines currently has an active waiver for airports in the South Central U.S., including airports in Austin, TX, Dallas, TX, Nashville, TN, Tulsa, OK, and more.

Southwest Airlines has a weather waiver that runs through Wednesday, Jan. 17 for airports in Eugene, OR, Portland, OR, and Spokane, WA.

United Airlines, still dealing with cancellations from the Boeing 737 Max 9 groundings, has a couple of weather waivers live on Tuesday. One is for Midwest Severe Weather, which includes airports in the Chicago area, and the other is for the East Coast, which includes airports in Boston, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and more.