Another rough travel day: 1,800 more flights canceled Wednesday after historic Deep South snowstorm
Editor's Note
Flight cancellations continued to mount a day after a historic winter storm swept across the Gulf Coast, before dumping snow on a large swath of the Southeast.
Even as conditions began to improve Wednesday morning, airlines were busy recovering from a messy travel day at airports in much of the country.
By 2:40 p.m. EST Wednesday, airlines had canceled more than 1,800 flights, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. Another 2,800 (and counting) had been delayed. And, already, nearly 300 more flights had been canceled for Thursday as airports and airlines look to reset their operations in the region.
Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) — the world's busiest — were hit with the highest cancellation counts. More than 215 IAH departures (about 37% of the day's schedule there) had been canceled, while ATL's total came in just shy of 200 (about 18%).
Houston's Wednesday tally came after the airport saw close to 95% of all flights canceled on Tuesday as the city saw the brunt of a storm that brought blizzard conditions to portions of Texas and southern Louisiana.
ATL faced deteriorating conditions late in the day Tuesday, which at one point led the Federal Aviation Administration to halt all flights.
On social media early Wednesday, ATL urged passengers to get to the airport at least three hours prior to departure, anticipating a rush of passengers in the wake of Tuesday night's mass disruptions.
The lingering travel disruptions weren't limited to Houston and Atlanta, though.
Cancellations mounted across the South, with nearly a dozen airports halting operations at some point during the storm. They included major hubs like IAH, medium-sized airports like Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) and smaller airfields like Valdosta Regional Airport (VLD) in Georgia and Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT) in Louisiana.
The cancelllations cascading into Thursday were spread across a number of cities in the region. At least a dozen Thursday departures has already been canceled in New Orleans; Charleston, South Carolina; Pensacola, Florida; and Savannah, Georgia.
All told, the season's latest winter storm has caused disruptions topping 11,000 flights just since Tuesday.
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Delta Air Lines, the dominant carrier at Atlanta, topped Wednesday's list with more than 300 flights axed by midafternoon.
Southwest Airlines was second, with more than 265 flights canceled by early afternoon. The airline has a significant presence in Houston, Austin, New Orleans and a long list of additional Gulf Coast and Southeast airports hit hard Wednesday — including Atlanta. Southwest topped Thursday's list of preemptive cancellations, with nearly 80 already in the books as of 2:40 p.m. EST.
And because the storm affected such a wide swath of the country, including a slew of major hubs, the leftover travel troubles could affect passengers virtually anywhere in the country Wednesday. Operations should begin to steadily improve over the course of the day, but — as noted above — lingering disruptions were already affecting some Thursday flights.
At MSY, at least 80% of departures were canceled Wednesday — only a slight improvement from Tuesday, when close to 90% of flights were axed.
That was due to unusual wintry conditions that saw the city's iconic French Quarter blanketed in snow.
Travel advisories expanded
Ahead of this latest winter storm, airlines issued sweeping travel advisories covering dozens of airports across the Deep South, Gulf Coast and Southeast.
Those waivers allow even customers flying on ultrarestrictive tickets to make free trip changes.
United's Gulf Coast advisory covers dozens of airports — including its Houston hub.
Southwest Airlines' latest alert covers a handful of airports where the carrier has a significant presence, from Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) to Austin and New Orleans.
Delta's alert covers its Atlanta megahub, and American's includes its major Southeast hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), where dozens of flights were canceled early Wednesday.
Here's what you can do if you're planning to travel in the coming days:
Watch for a travel advisory
Check your airline's website. If you're planning to fly over the next couple of days, it's likely your flight could be covered by one of the many aforementioned travel advisories issued by major U.S. carriers.
This could allow you to more easily make complimentary itinerary changes right from your airline's app — even if you're flying on an ordinarily restrictive ticket like basic economy.
Here's a full rundown of the largest U.S. carriers' current alerts:
- American Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- United Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- Alaska Airlines
- Frontier Airlines
- JetBlue
- Spirit Airlines
Keep an eye on your airline's app
Make sure you download your airline's app, and watch it closely. You may get notifications about flight delays or cancellations, and you'll be able to spot early signs of trouble with your travel plans.
Also: If your flight is delayed or canceled, your airline may allow you to book yourself on a new flight right in the app.
This could save you significant time you'd otherwise spend waiting on hold with customer service.
Read more: Flight canceled or delayed? Here's what to do next
See a good rebooking option? Don't delay
If you're battling flight delays and see a halfway decent rebooking option pop up in your airline's app, don't waste a second: Lock it in!
With thousands of flights likely to be affected by winter weather in the coming days, many other passengers will be competing for seats on flights that do get out on time. That means those open spots will fill up quickly.
Don't forget about the lounge
If using your airline's app to make itinerary changes isn't cutting it, you might consider visiting your airline's lounge (if you're a member, of course). The customer service desks in airlines' clubs can often have much shorter waits for assistance than you'll find along the airport concourse.
Just keep in mind that this applies only to airport lounges that are affiliated with your airline; a credit card-branded club like an American Express Centurion Lounge or Capital One Lounge — while a great place to kill time during a delay — won't be able to help you work on changing your flights.
Review your refund rights
Now is a good time to brush up on your rights to a refund when it comes to air travel.
Under U.S. Department of Transportation policy, airlines are required to refund you for the unflown portion of your ticket when your flight is canceled or significantly delayed — only if you choose not to travel (and don't accept rebooking).
This rule applies even when the flight disruption is due to bad weather, and it can come in handy if you opt to stay home instead of taking a later flight in the midst of a winter storm.
Getting compensation for a delayed flight
Airlines have made a wide range of promises to the DOT for meals, hotel accommodations and other guarantees in the event of flight cancellations and major delays. However, keep in mind that these typically apply to "controllable" disruptions (like maintenance or staffing issues) and generally do not apply when bad weather affects travel.
This is where a credit card that offers travel insurance can come in handy, helping you recoup unexpected costs when flight trouble leaves you stranded. The one catch: In most cases, you'll typically need to book your trip with that card in order to make a successful claim.
Related reading:
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- The best airline credit cards
- What exactly are airline miles, anyway?
- 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- What are points and miles worth? TPG's monthly valuations
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