More than 1,300 cancellations as airlines try to recover from winter storms
A massive storm earlier in the week continued to make flying a challenge this weekend as airlines struggle to get operations back to normal. The storms have passed, but the impact lingers on.
On Friday, more than 4,000 flights were canceled into, out of or within the U.S., according to flight tracking company Flight Aware.
It was a better Saturday, with just over 1,300 U.S. cancellations, but that's still a lot of folks out of place and upset. American Airlines is the hardest hit today with more than 845 canceled flights ... that's a whopping 30% of its schedule.
Most of that is attributable to the residual effect of bad weather that hit the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research, who said American was struggling "getting parts and people back where they need to be."
"We're in recovery mode and the impact you're seeing is a result of that," American Airlines told TPG in an email on Saturday.
Related: Here's what to do if your flight is delayed or canceled
American essentially shut down its massive Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) hub, according to Tim Jue, a San Francisco-based reporter covering airlines and travel.
Jue told me:
"DFW is American's biggest hub, and when you shut down that operation — even for a few hours — it has ripple effects throughout the network. The major challenge for restarting an operation after irregular operations is pandemic-era staffing strains. Airlines are great at getting things back up and running after big storms, but having fewer staff on hand complicates and slows that effort."
American affiliate Envoy Air also canceled many flights on Saturday — about 14% of its schedule.
Better news from Southwest, which only canceled 3% of its flights today. That compares to 439 canceled flights on Friday about 12% of its schedule.
Related: 6 real-life strategies to use if your flight is canceled
It's been a rough few weeks for the airlines as cancellations that began the week before Christmas have continued into the second month of the new year. According to a TPG analysis, one out of every 13 flights was canceled over the holidays.
The good news is that the major storms have moved on, and things are looking up for Sunday. As of 4 p.m. on Saturday, only 63 flights are canceled for tomorrow.
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app