BY Rosemary
Delta Air Lines on Friday urged passengers with weekend travel plans to consider rescheduling their flights as a major winter storm threatens to severely disrupt air travel across large portions of the United States, raising the likelihood of widespread delays and cancellations.
The storm is already rippling through the U.S. aviation network, forcing airlines to cancel flights, issue travel waivers and warn customers of prolonged disruptions. Ice, snow and strong winds are sweeping across major airline hubs as well as smaller regional airports in the South, the East and parts of the central United States, complicating operations during a typically busy winter travel period.
Delta said customers should expect flight cancellations throughout the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, with particularly heavy impacts anticipated at airports serving cities such as Nashville and Raleigh–Durham. The carrier cautioned that deteriorating weather conditions could make it difficult to maintain normal schedules and recover disrupted flights.
On Thursday, Delta canceled flights at multiple airports across five states, noting that slower airport operations caused by weather could trigger additional delays and cancellations. The airline warned that these disruptions may also complicate rebooking efforts as passengers compete for limited available seats once flights are grounded.
The scale of the disruption was evident at Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, one of the nation’s busiest travel hubs. Roughly two-thirds of the 815 flights scheduled to depart the airport on Saturday were canceled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, highlighting the storm’s growing impact on airline schedules.
Other carriers are also adjusting operations in response. American Airlines said it would add more than 3,200 extra seats to flights in and out of its Dallas–Fort Worth hub between Friday and Sunday, an effort aimed at accommodating passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted by cancellations elsewhere in the network.
Weather forecasters warned that the storm could create dangerous travel conditions across a wide swath of the country. The National Weather Service said a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow is expected to make roads and airport runways hazardous across much of the Southeast, with the potential for power outages and fallen trees. Heavier snowfall is forecast farther north as the system tracks up the country.
Airlines are advising passengers to closely monitor their flight status and to use mobile apps or airline websites for the fastest rebooking options as conditions evolve. Many travelers have already begun changing plans, seeking earlier departures, later dates or alternate routes to avoid the worst of the storm as airlines brace for continued disruption through the weekend.