MW Nearly 2,000 U.S. flights have already been canceled ahead of winter storm
By Claudia Assis
American and Southwest flights out of Dallas are among the most affected so far
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is among the most affected on Friday ahead of the approaching winter storm.
U.S. airlines have already canceled almost 2,000 Friday and Saturday flights ahead of a winter storm expected to wallop two-thirds of the United States over the weekend, with flights out of Dallas among the most affected so far.
The severe winter weather will bring widespread travel disruptions, including heavy snow in the Northeast and frigid temperatures and gusty winds in the southern Plains and elsewhere, the National Weather Service said.
More than 400 flights on Friday and more than 1,500 flights on Saturday have been canceled so far, according to FlightAware, most of them from the two airports in the Dallas area, where rain is expected to turn into a wintry mix of rain, snow and ice later on Friday.
U.S. airlines have issued waivers to ticket holders, with the details of what is covered varying from airline to airline. Dallas Forth Worth International Airport is one of American Airlines' $(AAL)$ main hubs, while Dallas Love Field is Southwest's $(LUV)$ original base; the company's headquarters is next to the airport.
AccuWeather predicted late Thursday that some 6,000 U.S. flights could be canceled through Monday as the storm brings heavy snow, ice and bitter cold to large swaths of the country.
The storm was shaping up to be particularly treacherous, as it is expected to hit areas not used to severe winter weather.
Once a flight is canceled, there's very little slack in the system for rebookings, as airlines work to fly planes as close to capacity as possible. That makes for slow rebooking and recovery from any flight cancellations.
U.S. airlines' stocks were in the red Friday, a mixed day broadly for the U.S. equity market. The U.S. Global Jets exchange-traded fund JETS was nearly 1% lower, looking at a weekly loss of 1.4%.
-Claudia Assis
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 23, 2026 11:52 ET (16:52 GMT)
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