Winter storm leads to more flight cancellations
American, Southwest, JetBlue lead US carriers in cancelations
Friday marks the third day of mass flights cancellations for the battered industry as a more than 2,000-mile stretch of the U.S. faces another winter storm.
As of 12 p.m. ET Friday, nearly 3,300 flights leaving, entering or traveling between the United States were canceled, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.
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Passengers around the nation have been dealing with a slew of disruptions over the past three days, with cancellations surpassing 5,000 on Thursday due to the winter storm.
The storm, which brought heavy snow and freezing rain to a slew of states from Texas to New England, made travel "treacherous" in certain cases and even closed runways at some airports.
WHAT MAKES THIS WEEK'S WINTER STORM DIFFERENT FROM LAST WEEKEND'S NOR'EASTER?
By Friday morning, American, Southwest and JetBlue accounted for the most cancellations among U.S. carriers.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBLU | JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP. | 5.71 | -0.06 | -1.04% |
| LUV | SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. | 29.91 | -0.70 | -2.29% |
| AAL | AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. | 12.99 | -0.55 | -4.06% |
American is leading with 787 canceled flights, or 26% of its schedule, as of 12 p.m. ET Friday.
The carrier said the "winter storm continues to have a significant impact on our operation" and that the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is in a ground delay program for the bulk of the day, with only two operable runways.
"Flights into DFW have resumed today, and we anticipate additional impact due to conditions there and airports in the northeast U.S. and Canada as the storm moves," an American Airlines spokesperson told FOX Business.
Meanwhile, Southwest canceled about 425 flights, or 12% of its schedule, and JetBlue canceled 310 flights – about 35% of its flight schedule, as of 12 p.m. ET Friday, according to FlightAware.
To help, the major carriers issued travel waivers for affected customers.
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For instance, JetBlue said it "will waive change/cancel fees and fare differences for customers" traveling on Feb. 3 through Feb. 4. The waiver covers travel to and from certain cities in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.
Likewise, American, which already expected the storm to significantly impact its operation in the Northeast and Central regions, also issued various waivers for cities in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.