Airlines Brace for ‘Mammoth’ Winter Storm

Airlines are usually fairly proactive when it comes to getting ahead of pending weather issues. Now, with another major storm forecasted for the second straight week, carriers are being extra cautious.

What is being described as “a mammoth storm” is expected to start today, February 2, and stretch all the way through the weekend from the Rocky Mountains, through the Midwest, dipping into the South, and then up into the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast.

The snow and ice storm is so large, according to CNN, that 100 million people could be affected.

Southwest Airlines already announced a dramatic step on Tuesday. Instead of canceling flights piece-meal, Southwest said it would shut down all operations at its home base at Love Field in Dallas on Thursday when the ice storm is expected to hit Texas. It encouraged customers to rebook and will evaluate further after Thursday, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Southwest also told travelers it could have delays at other destinations due to the expected severity of the storm.

The newspaper also noted that American Airlines has begun canceling flights out of its hub at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

“This week’s winter storm is expected to have a significant impact on our operation, especially in the Northeast and Central regions of the United States,” the airline said in a statement. “The vast majority of impacted flights have been canceled in advance so we could proactively notify and accommodate our customers and avoid last minute disruptions at the airport.”

Both airlines already said that change fees would be waived.

This would be the fourth major storm of the winter. It was a nor’easter that pounded the east coast last weekend and caused 5,600 flight cancellations in three days, mainly centered in the heavily populated I-95 Corridor from Washington north through Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.