Updated Travel Alert March 2017: Thousands of Flights Canceled to Northeastern United States

T housands of flights to the northeastern United States have already been canceled by airlines for today, Monday, March 13, 2017 through Wednesday, March 15, 2017 due to a major winter storm which promises to be the biggest one of the year — ironically, only mere days before Spring arrives.

Here is the breakdown of the airlines which have reported flight cancellations at the time this article was written in this updated travel alert March 2017:

American Airlines

The resumption of airport operations will be dependent on weather conditions at the airport, public transit and roadways, according to this article released from American Airlines.

Here is the latest information pertaining to flights:

• Chicago O’Hare (ORD): We have canceled 200 regional flights until Noon CT today. Normal operations will resume this afternoon.
• Washington, D.C. (DCA): Flights before 8 a.m. ET Tuesday have been canceled. We will gradually resume operations after 8 a.m. ET.
• Philadelphia (PHL): Flights before 5 p.m. ET Tuesday have been canceled. We will gradually resume operations after 5 p.m. ET.
• New York-area airports (LGA/JFK/EWR): All Tuesday flights have been canceled. We plan on resuming normal operations Wednesday morning.
• Boston (BOS): Flights after 8 a.m. ET Tuesday have been canceled. We plan on resuming normal operations Wednesday morning.

Delta Air Lines

Greater than 900 flights have already been canceled by Delta Air Lines.

“Delta has pre-emptively canceled 130 mainline and Delta Connection regional flights for Monday evening as the airline repositions aircraft and crews away from the storm’s path to allow for a quicker startup Tuesday after the weather passes“, according to this article released from Delta Air Lines. “An additional 800 flights are canceled for Tuesday’s operation in the three New York area airports as well as the D.C. metro area, Boston and smaller Northeastern airports.”

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has proactively canceled greater than 1,300 flights systemwide for Monday, March 13, 2017 through Wednesday March 15, 2017 as of earlier today at 1:00 in the afternoon Central Daylight Time. 

“City-specific cancelation numbers can be calculated by visiting the websites of the individual airports”, according to this article released from Southwest Airlines. “We have city fact sheets that provide general information about our destinations served, number of daily flights, facilities, and employment numbers.”

Flight Waivers, Delays and Cancellations

If you are traveling to anywhere in the midwestern and northeastern United States and eastern Canada over the next few days, expect delays and cancellations of flights. Keep up to date on the latest information pertaining to this winter weather system which may adversely affect your travel plans. Better yet, postponing or canceling your trip will most likely be a better option — no matter which mode of travel you plan on taking.

If you have a flight scheduled, your flight may be delayed or canceled — and you may be eligible for a waiver of a fee to change your itinerary. If you are driving in any of these areas, watch out for deteriorating weather conditions and traffic problems.

Here are twelve airlines which have issued travel alerts as a result of this winter weather system:

• Delta Air Lines has issued travel alerts for 30 airports serving eleven states and two provinces for Tuesday, March 14, 2017 and Wednesday, March 15, 2017; and Friday, March 17, 2017 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
• American Airlines has issued travel alerts for 40 airports in 13 states and one province with the same travel dates.
• United Airlines has issued travel alerts for 22 airports in twelve states and one province with the same travel dates.
• JetBlue Airways has issued travel alerts for 22 airports in eleven states with different travel dates.
• Southwest Airlines has issued travel alerts for 25 airports in 16 states with different travel dates.
• Alaska Airlines has issued travel alerts for seven airports in six states with different travel dates.
• Frontier Airlines has issued travel alerts for nine airports in seven states with different travel dates.
• Spirit Airlines has issued travel alerts for eleven airports in seven states with different travel dates.
• Sun Country Airlines has issued travel alerts for five airports in three states with different travel dates.
• Allegiant Air has issued travel alerts for six airports in four states with different travel dates.
• Air Canada has issued travel alerts for 25 airports in seven states and six provinces with different travel dates.
• WestJet has issued travel alerts for at least ten airports in at least two states and three provinces with different travel dates.

Summary

I intend to add more information as it comes in. Although greater than 6,000 flights have already been canceled through Wednesday, expect more flights to be canceled due to this storm — especially as airports themselves are closed.

Also, keep in mind that even if you are traveling between areas which will not be impacted by the storm, delays may be likely due to the reassignment of equipment and resources by airlines.

Please stay tuned — and if you are impacted by the storm, I hope that your inconvenience is kept to a minimum…

Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.