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Winter weather snarls flights Tuesday with thousands of cancellations

Jan. 16, 2024
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3 min read
Winter Storm
Winter weather snarls flights Tuesday with thousands of cancellations
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Thousands of flights across the U.S. were canceled or delayed Tuesday morning as a winter storm swept across the nation for the second day in a row.

More than 2,400 flights to, from and within the U.S. had been canceled by 10:40 p.m. EST, and nearly 9,000 more delayed, according to data from FlightAware.

The major disruption comes as much of the country saw its first significant snowfall in two years, and freezing temperatures swept across much of the middle and eastern portions of the continent.

Temperatures reached as low as the teens in Texas, while a band of snow moved into the Northeast, covering the Interstate 95 corridor. More than 3,300 U.S. flights were scrapped Monday.

On Tuesday morning, Southwest led the cancellations with 440 (11% of its schedule) and a whopping 1,416 delays (38%). The Dallas-based carrier, which also led cancellations Monday, appeared to struggle as the weather system swept through several of its key focus cities all at once, including Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Denver and Baltimore.

United Airlines was not far behind, with 359 mainline cancellations (14%) and 1,033 delays (42%).

On the other end of the scale, Delta Air Lines had just 46 mainline cancellations (1%) Tuesday, though it did delay nearly 1,100 flights (37%). Two regional airlines that operate for Delta and others — Republic Airways and SkyWest Airlines — also showed significant disruptions. Republic had 296 canceled flights (31%) and 391delays (41%), while SkyWest had 197 cancellations (10%) and 602 delays (30%).

The storm's sheer breadth made the disruptions worse, with flights snarling across much of the country.

Related: Flight canceled or delayed? Here’s what to do next

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Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) led the number of canceled departures, with 162 flights scrubbed, or 36% of its departures for the day, and another 188 delayed (42%). New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA) followed with 160 cancellations (29%) and 289 delays (53%).

Other severely affected airports included Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) — with 102 outbound cancellations (10%) and 403 delays (41%) — and with Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), which had 84 canceled departing flights (14%) and 266 delays (45%). IAH also struggled with arriving flights, with 133 canceled (21%) and 205 delayed (33%).

The cancellations were complicated by the ongoing grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 9, which makes up a significant part of United's and Alaska Airlines' fleets. (Alaska had 96 cancellations, 16% of its schedule, and 38 delays Tuesday morning.)

The grounding comes after a door plug fell from an Alaska Airlines jet midflight Jan. 5. The FAA is investigating and has not given a timeline for the fleet's return to service.

Related reading:

Featured image by David Dee Delgado/Bloomberg/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.

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  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
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