NEW YORK - A massive winter storm forced thousands of flight cancellations that continue to ramp up as a system that may be the most expansive in years rips across the US from Texas up to New England.
So far, nearly 13,000 US flights have been cancelled from Jan 24 through Jan 26, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. It is the worst level of air travel disruption since the US government shutdown in 2025, which led to air traffic control staffing shortages at airports across the country that snarled flights.
For some airlines, the disruptions expected on Jan 25 are approaching levels not seen since the coronavirus pandemic decimated air travel, aviation analytics company Cirium said.
As of 9.30am New York time (10.30pm Singapore time), 90 per cent of flights from Memphis, 76 per cent from Oklahoma City and 75 per cent from Dallas-Fort Worth were cancelled on Jan 24. Airports in Austin, Charlotte and Nashville were also hit hard, with the Washington and New York areas seeing more disruptions as the storm progresses into Jan 25.
For the US as a whole, the storm may be one of the most expansive in the US since a 1993 “superstorm”, said Mr Rob Carolan, chief executive officer of Hometown Forecast Services.
Earlier in the week, US airlines announced contingency plans and said they would waive change fees and fare differences for passengers scheduled to fly this weekend.
American Airlines Group Inc. said in a statement that to help passengers get to and from their destinations, it added nearly 1,800 extra seats on flights departing Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Friday and more than 1,400 seats to arriving flights on Sunday after the storm passes.
The carrier also said it added extra flights between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Jan 24.
Airports announced they were taking steps to prepare for the winter weather. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the major airports serving the New York metro area, including John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia, said in a statement Friday that it’s activated winter storm protocols. That includes ensuring snow removal equipment is fueled and operational.
“This is a significant long-duration winter storm that threatens 180 million Americas with widespread heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain from the southern Rocky Mountains to New England,” said Ms Allison Santorelli, a forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center.
“Extremely cold air will follow the storm prolonging dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts and hampering recovery efforts.”
“South of the snow area we are continuing to expect catastrophic ice accumulation,” Ms Santorelli said. Up to a 0.5 inch of ice may fall across the US South on up to Northern Virginia.
The Dallas-Fort Worth airport said on Jan 23 that its crews are “prepared to treat runways and taxiways on the airfield, as well as bridges, overpasses and roadways across airport property”, according to a statement.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said in a social media post to X that its “weather and air traffic professionals are monitoring the winter storm around the clock to maintain the safety of the national airspace system.”
The agency urged travellers to check fly.faa.gov for real-time airport updates. BLOOMBERG
