Snow, ice and bitter cold disrupt travel with more than 2,000 flights canceled

15.01.2024 - 18:33 / thepointsguy.com / Kathy Hochul

Snow, ice and bone-chilling temperatures have hampered air travel operations across much of the country as the long weekend comes to a close.

Airlines have canceled thousands of flights in recent days. That includes more than 2,000 flights scrapped Monday, according to data from FlightAware.

The disruptions come as parts of the country dig out from heavy snow, and many other regions contend with sub-zero temperatures and even colder wind chills.

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As of mid-day Monday, Southwest Airlines led the way with 650 cancellations — about 16% of its schedule. An additional 680-plus Southwest flights have been delayed so far Monday.

The Dallas-based carrier has been hit by bad weather in many of its key focus cities. Chicago and Denver, home to a large share of the airline's crews, have seen snow and bitter cold temperatures in recent days.

Denver International Airport (DEN) leads all U.S. airports with 155 flight cancellations as of mid-day, FlightAware shows. And Midway International Airport (MDW) in Chicago, another key Southwest base, has seen 30% of its Monday flights canceled, the highest rate of any U.S. airport.

Airlines have also dealt with unusually bitter conditions across Texas, with more than 200 combined cancellations at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Houston's Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).

The snow, ice and dangerously cold conditions have complicated airport operations across much of the country.

At O'Hare, the Airport Transit System, which shuttles passengers between terminals, the rental car facility and public transit broke down at one point Sunday amid the extreme temperatures — though it's now back up and running.

Heavy snow in Buffalo saw around 83% of flights at Buffalo Niagra International Airport (BUF) canceled Sunday as part of a storm that led to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul implementing travel restrictions — and even saw the National Football League re-schedule a Buffalo Bills home playoff game for Monday.

In Texas, Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) warned on social media of extreme weather conditions affecting North Texas, and a "significant number" of cancellations expected.

Meanwhile, to the south in Houston, airport officials praised maintenance teams for pretreating roads and runways with de-icing chemicals to keep operations running as normally as possible.

The National Weather Service warned of wintry conditions, including freezing rain, expected from Texas and Louisiana to the central Appalachian region and Mid-Atlantic states.

And, as these winter weather systems move east, some airlines have extended travel alerts to the East