With severe winter weather threatening to snarl airline operations in the Southeast and Midwest USA over the weekend, major US carriers have cancelled hundreds of flights on 24-25 January.
Airports in Memphis, Dallas Fort-Worth and Oklahoma City will all see large numbers of flight cancellations starting on 24 January due to the heavy snowfall and icy conditions forecast to descend across much of the country.
Known as winter storm Fern, the fierce weather pattern is expected to cause power outages and disrupt both air and ground-vehicle travel across a broad swath of the continental USA through at least 25 January. High winds, sleet and low temperatures are expected in multiple regions.
Data provided by aviation analytics firm Cirium show that American Airlines has pre-emptively cancelled 1,228 flights on 24 January, or about 24% of its schedule.
To compensate for the disruptions, American says it plans to add 3,200 extra seats departing from Dallas-Fort Worth on 23 January and 25 January.
“Ahead of winter storm Fern, American Airlines has added extra flights in several markets to help more customers reach their destinations before the storm’s impacts are felt, and quickly get to Dallas Fort Worth International airport after the storm passes,” the carrier says.
Delta Air Lines, meanwhile, has cancelled 169 flights, or nearly 4.5% of its daily schedule on 24 January.
A typical day of operations in the USA usually sees 1% of airline flights cancelled, Cirium says.
Flight-tracking platform FlightAware shows minimal cancellations on 23 January in the US, but significant disruptions up north by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, as well as WestJet and WestJet Encore.
Jamal Lofton, an air traffic control specialist with the Federal Aviation Administration, says in a 23 January social media post that the FAA is tracking the winter storm, which has prompted several US states to declare states of emergency.
“Please check your flight status before leaving home,” he urges air travellers. ”Remember, the FAA does not cancel flights.”
Cirium says that about 85% of flights out of Memphis will be cancelled on 24 January, while 70% from Dallas-Fort Worth and 65% from Oklahoma City will be cancelled.
