Airlines cancel 10,000 flights and scramble to rebook travelers

U.S. flight cancellations eased on Saturday but federal officials warned that disruptions could proceed as severe winter storms snarled air travel across the country ahead of Christmas.

U.S.-based airlines have canceled greater than 10,000 flights since Wednesday, based on flight tracker FlightAware.

The bad weather and flight disruptions upended the vacation travel plans of a whole lot of hundreds of individuals during what airlines expect to be one among the busiest periods since before the pandemic.

Airlines and travelers were hard-pressed to search out alternative flights before the vacation because planes were booked so full and schedules dropped sharply through the weekend. The Federal Aviation Administration said schedules peaked at 47,554 flights on Thursday, dropping to 30,875 on Saturday and just 27,997 on Sunday, Christmas Day.

That might force airlines to offer money refunds to travelers who determine to scrap their trips altogether due to delays.

FedEx and UPS warned holiday packages could arrive late because of the storms.

Airlines scrubbed about 5,600 flights on Friday alone, a couple of quarter of the schedule, when storms swept through cities from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast, bringing life-threatening cold to many areas. Federal forecasters warned of dangerous road conditions from ice and low visibility.

“Wind and blowing snow could cause delays in Chicago, and wind could cause delays in and around Washington, D.C., Recent York, Boston and Philadelphia,” the FAA said Saturday morning. “Seattle, San Francisco and airports serving Colorado ski resorts could see delays from low clouds and visibility.”

Greater than 1,700 Saturday flights were canceled.

Delays are also possible in Florida due to high variety of seasonal flights, the FAA added.

Extreme cold and high winds also slowed operations at dozens of airports. Fifty-eight percent of U.S. flights arrived late on Friday, by a median of nearly 90 minutes, FlightAware data showed.

The disruptions stemmed from weather that hit all major U.S. carriers.

Southwest Airlines, which has a big operation in Chicago and in Denver, canceled greater than 1,300 flights, a couple of third of its schedule, while 2,000 others, half of its schedule, were delayed.

Southwest Airlines Pilot Association, the airlines’ pilot union, said 52% of pilots were rerouted on Thursday.

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines canceled greater than 500 flights, or 65% of its schedule on Friday, and said planes and airport ramps were covered in thick sheets of ice, slowing its Pacific Northwest operations.

“While it’s difficult, especially presently of 12 months, we strongly encourage guests to reassess their must travel because of continued icy weather and limited availability,” it said on Friday. “Because of very full flights over the subsequent several days, it’s prone to take several days to accommodate guests who need recent flights.”