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Thousands of flights cancelled and delayed, weather waivers issued due to winter storm in Midwest and Northeast

Liz Hund
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Liz Hund is a former TPG writer, covering everything from the latest deal to deeper guides with a focus on beginners.
Jan. 18, 2020
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6 min read
WINTER WEATHER
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There's currently a snowstorm making its way across the Midwest and into the Northeast, with as much as nine inches expected to fall in some parts of New England.

The storm has already made landfall in the Midwest and the snow has turned into freezing rain, causing dangerous travel conditions. As of 12 p.m Saturday, 146 flights have been cancelled and 166 flights have been delayed between the Chicago O'Hare and Midway airports alone, according to Flight Aware. That's just a small portion of the 1,496 delayed and 527 cancelled flights throughout the rest of America.

With more delays and cancellations expected through the day and weekend, here's the full list of travel waivers being offered by major U.S. carriers.

American Airlines

American Airlines issued travel waivers for those flying to/from/through select cities in the Northeast and Midwest, including:

Northeast: Scheduled to fly Jan. 18, can travel between Jan. 16 - 21.

  • Baltimore, Maryland (BWI)
  • Boston, Massachusetts (BOS)
  • Detroit, Michigan (DTW)
  • Islip, New York (ISP)
  • New York Kennedy, New York (JFK)
  • New York LaGuardia, New York (LGA)
  • Newark, New Jersey (EWR)
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL)
  • Stewart Newburgh, New York (SWF)
  • Washington Dulles, Washington D.C. (IAD)
  • Washington Reagan, Washington D.C. (DCA)
  • White Plains / Westchester County, New York (HPN)

Midwest: Scheduled to fly Jan. 17 - 19, can travel between Jan. 15 - 21.

  • Bloomington / Normal, Illinois (BMI)
  • Cedar Rapids, Iowa (CID)
  • Champaign / Urbana, Illinois (CMI)
  • Chicago, Illinois (ORD)
  • Cleveland, Ohio (CLE)
  • Columbia, Missouri (COU)
  • Decatur, Illinois (DEC)
  • Des Moines, Iowa (DSM)
  • Detroit, Michigan (DTW)
  • Dubuque, Iowa (DBQ)
  • Flint, Michigan (FNT)
  • Fort Wayne, Indiana (FWA)
  • Grand Rapids, Michigan (GRR)
  • Kalamazoo / Battle Creek, Michigan (AZO)
  • Kansas City, Missouri (MCI)
  • Kirksville, Missouri (IRK)
  • La Crosse, Wisconsin (LSE)
  • Lansing, Michigan (LAN)
  • Madison, Wisconsin (MSN)
  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin (MKE)
  • Moline, Illinois (MLI)
  • Omaha, Nebraska (OMA)
  • Peoria, Illinois (PIA)
  • Quincy, Illinois (UIN)
  • Rochester, Minnesota (RST)
  • Sioux City, Iowa (SUX)
  • Sioux Falls, South Dakota (FSD)
  • South Bend, Indiana (SBN)
  • Springfield / Branson, Missouri (SGF)
  • St. Louis, Missouri (STL)
  • Toledo, Ohio (TOL)
  • Waterloo, Iowa (ALO)

You cannot change your origin or destination city and must rebook in the same cabin or pay the difference.

Alternatively, you can delay your trip and the airline will waive the change or cancellation fees as long as you purchased the ticket by Jan. 15 (Midwest cities) or Jan. 16 (Northeast cities), are scheduled to travel between Jan. 17 - 19, can travel Jan. 15 - 23, 2020, and up to 331 days after your original ticket date, or wish to change your origin and destination cities. See full terms for select routes here.

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Delta Air Lines

Delta issued travel waivers for those flying to/from/through select cities in the Northeast, including:

Northeast: Scheduled to fly Jan. 18, can travel by Jan. 21.

  • Boston, Massachussets (BOS)
  • Detroit, Michigan (DTW)
  • New York (JFK)
  • New York (LGA)
  • Newark, New Jersey (EWR)
  • Newburgh, New York (SWF)
  • White Plains, New York (HPN)

The travel waiver is valid for those scheduled to travel Jan. 18. The change fee will be waived for new Delta flights departing on or before Jan. 21. You can also cancel your trip and use the ticket value toward a future flight.

United Airlines

United has issued travel waivers for those traveling to/from/through select cities in the Midwest and Northeast, including:

Northeast: Scheduled to fly Jan. 18, can travel by Jan. 28.

  • Baltimore, Maryland (BWI)
  • New York (LGA)
  • Newark, New Jersey (EWR)
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL)
  • Washington, DC - Dulles (IAD)
  • Washington-National, DC (DCA)

Midwest: Scheduled to fly between Jan. 17 - 19, can travel by Jan 21.

  • Chicago-O'Hare, Illinois (ORD)​
  • Cleveland, Ohio (CLE)
  • Kansas City, Missouri (MCI)
  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin (MKE)
  • Moline, Illinois (MLI)
  • Peoria, Illinois (PIA)
  • South Bend, Indiana (SBN)

The travel waiver is valid for a customer's original travel dates. The change fee and fare difference will be waived for new United flights departing on or before the outlined date as long as travel is rescheduled in the originally ticketed cabin (any fare class) and between the same cities as originally ticketed.

Southwest

Southwest's travel waiver is particularly flexible, giving the customer the option of rebooking in the original class of service or as a standby within 14 days of the original date of travel between the original city-pairs without paying any additional fees. Travel waivers have been issued for the following cities:

Northeast: Scheduled to fly Jan. 18.

  • Albany, NY (ALB)
  • Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)
  • Boston, MA (BOS)
  • Buffalo, NY (BUF)
  • Hartford, CT (BDL)
  • Long Island MacArthur, NY (ISP)
  • Manchester, NH (MHT)
  • New York LaGuardia, NY (LGA)
  • Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
  • Portland, ME (PWM)
  • Providence, RI (PVD)
  • Rochester, NY (ROC)
  • Washington Dulles, Washington D.C. (IAD)
  • Washington Reagan, Washington D.C. (DCA)

Midwest: Scheduled to fly between Jan. 17 - 19.

  • Chicago-Midway, IL (MDW)
  • Cleveland, OH (CLE)
  • Des Moines, IA (DSM)
  • Detroit, MI (DTW)
  • Grand Rapids, MI (GRR)
  • Kansas City, MO (MCI)
  • Milwaukee, WI (MKE)
  • Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP)
  • Omaha, NE (OMA)
  • St. Louis, MO (STL)

Frontier

Frontier currently has a few different weather waivers for the different parts of the country that are expected to be affected.

Midwest: Passengers can make one fee free itinerary change to travel to/through/from the following cities if travel is scheduled between Jan. 17- 18. All travel must be completed no later than Feb. 8 and cities can be changed.

  • Bloomington, Illinois (BMI)
  • Cedar Rapids, Iowa (CID)
  • Chicago, Illinois (ORD)
  • Cleveland, Ohio (CLE)
  • Des Moines, Iowa (DSM)
  • Detroit, Michigan (DTW)
  • Grand Rapids, Michigan (GRR)
  • Green Bay, Wisconsin (GRB)
  • Madison, Wisconsin (MSN)
  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin (MKE)
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota (MSP

Northeast: Passengers can make one fee free itinerary change to travel to/through/from the following cities if travel is scheduled between Jan. 18 - 19. All travel must be completed no later than Feb. 8 and cities can be changed.

  • Albany, NY (ALB)
  • Baltimore, MD (BWI)
  • Boston, MA (BOS)
  • LaGuardia/New York, NY (LGA)
  • Long Island MacArthur/New York Islip, NY (ISP)
  • Newark, NJ (EWR)
  • Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
  • Syracuse, NY (SYR)
  • Trenton, NJ (TTN)
  • Washington – Dulles, DC (IAD)
  • Washington - National, DC (DCA)

Bottom line

If the worst happens and this storm causes your flight to be delayed or canceled, check your credit card. If you have ones like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, they both come with solid trip delay and trip cancellation insurance.

Featured image by MCT via Getty Images
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.