More than 1,800 flights affected by the weather
Flight cancellations spike early Wednesday as dangerous winter conditions spread across the southeast this week.
A winter storm warning will remain in effect through Thursday morning for swaths of north and central Texas, with mostly freezing rain and sleet expected in the area, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth warned.
More than 1,800 US flights were canceled around 8 a.m. ET Tuesday, and about 600 more were delayed, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Southwest and American Airlines, both based in Texas, saw the most cancellations, cutting about 13% and 27% from their schedules, respectively.
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More than 5,000 US flights have been canceled since Monday.
As the Department for Transport requires airlines to reimburse travelers whose flights are cancelled, airlines have also started issuing waivers as the wintry weather sets in. The cold front comes after a winter storm disrupted flights last week.
American airlines
American is waiving change fees for travelers scheduled to fly between Jan. 29 and Feb. 2, according to its website. Passengers must rebook by February 2 and travel by February 8. The exemption applies to the following cities:
- Austin, Texas (Australia)
- Charleston, West Virginia (CRW)
- Cincinnati, Ohio (CVG)
- Columbus, Ohio (CMH)
- Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW)
- Dayton, Ohio (DAY)
- Lexington, Kentucky (LEX)
- Little Rock, Arkansas (LIT)
- Louisville, Kentucky (homeless)
- Lubbock, TX (LBB)
- Memphis, Tennessee (MEM)
- Midland / Odessa, TX (MAF)
- Nashville, TN (BNA)
- Northwest Arkansas / Bentonville, Arkansas (XNA)
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (OKC)
- San Antonio, TX (SAT)
- Shreveport, Louisiana (SHV)
- Springfield / Branson, MO (SGF)
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (TUL)
Delta Airlines
Delta will allow passengers planning to travel on Tuesday or Wednesday to rebook their flights to take place on or before February 4 without paying a fare difference or change fee, if any, according to its website. The exemption applies in the following cities:
- Austin, Texas (Australia)
- Charleston, West Virginia (CRW)
- Cincinnati, Ohio (CVG)
- Columbus, Ohio (CMH)
- Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW)
- Dallas, TX (Love Field DAL)
- Dayton, Ohio (DAY)
- Fayetteville, Arkansas (XNA)
- Lexington, Kentucky (LEX)
- Little Rock, Arkansas (LIT)
- Memphis, Tennessee (MEM)
- Nashville, TN (BNA)
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (TUL)
Border airlines
Frontier is waiving change fees for travelers who need to pass through Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, according to its website.
JetBlue
JetBlue is waiving change fees and fare differences for travelers scheduled to fly between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 in select cities, according to its website. Travelers must rebook by February 4. The exemption applies to the following cities:
- Austin, Texas (Australia)
- Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW)
- Nashville, TN (BNA)
- San Antonio, TX (SAT)
South West Airlines
According to its website, Southwest allows travelers to rebook without paying a fare difference for flights taken within 14 days of their original travel date. The waiver applies to travel between January 30 and February 1 to the following cities:
- Amarillo, TX (AMA)
- Austin, Texas (Australia)
- Nashville, TN (BNA)
- Dallas (Field of Love), Texas (DAL)
- Lubbock, TX (LBB)
- Little Rock, Arkansas (LIT)
- Midland, TX (MAF)
- Memphis, Tennessee (MEM)
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (OKC)
- San Antonio, TX (SAT)
- Louisville, Kentucky (homeless)
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (TUL)
Spirit Airlines
Spirit is waiving change fees and fare differences for travelers scheduled to fly to certain cities between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, according to its website. The fare difference is waived until February 7. The exemption applies to the following cities:
- Austin, Texas (Australia)
- Dallas, TX (DFW)
United Airlines
Travelers scheduled to travel with United to select cities between Jan. 30 and Feb. 2 can rebook without paying a change fee or fare difference on flights through Feb. 5, according to its website. They must also make a new reservation on that date. The exemption applies to the following cities:
- Austin, Texas (Australia)
- Charleston, West Virginia (CRW)
- Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (DFW)
- Bentonville, AR (XNA)
- Hobbs, New Mexico (HOB)
- Lexington, Kentucky (LEX)
- Little Rock, AR (LIT)
- Louisville, Kentucky (homeless)
- Lubbock, TX (LBB)
- Memphis, Tennessee (MEM)
- Midland, TX (MAF)
- Nashville, TN (BNA)
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (OKC)
- Paducah, Kentucky (PAH)
- San Antonio, TX (SAT)
- Shreveport, LA (SHV)
- Springfield, MO (SGF)
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (TUL)
Contributor: Zach Wichter and Eve Chen, USA TODAY
USA Today
