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Airlines in the United States have canceled nearly 4,000 flights this weekend
due to a massive winter storm moving across the country. The National Weather
Service is warning of heavy snow, freezing rain, and extremely low
temperatures that will continue until Monday.
 
According to data from flight tracker FlightAware, more than 560 flights were
canceled on Friday. Cancellations for Saturday were even higher, with nearly
2,400 flights canceled. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas
Love Field were particularly hard hit, with more than 1,100 and 180 flights
canceled, respectively.
 
Airlines have canceled another 1,600 domestic flights for Sunday, though that
number could rise as the storm approaches.
 
Flights are often canceled preemptively to prevent aircraft, passengers, and
crew from becoming stranded, which would only exacerbate the chaos after the
storm.
 
Several airlines, including American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest
Airlines, and United Airlines, have waived their change and cancellation fees.
Travelers can rebook their flights free of charge, even for budget fares like
Basic Economy.
 
American Airlines previously announced it was repositioning aircraft and
deploying additional staff at major airports to mitigate the storm's impact
and "enable a swift, safe resumption of air travel once weather conditions
improve.
 
The National Weather Service warns that the storm could affect hundreds of
millions of people, with "extensive heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain" from
the southern Rocky Mountains to New England.

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