Harsh weather is disrupting travel across the United States this weekend. Passengers trying to return after Thanksgiving have been met with thousands of delays and hundreds of canceled flights. This is thanks to two overwhelming storm systems.

Delta Snow
Winter storms have been causing damage across the US this week. Photo: John Murphy via Wikimedia Commons

Cross-country chaos

Severe weather has been reported coast-to-coast. According to Axios, over 1,309 flights were delayed yesterday. Meanwhile, a further 300 services were canceled.

Chicago is one of the major cities greatly impacted by the storms. Both of the city's key international airports have had airlines reporting average delays of 15 minutes. Chicago O’Hare canceled 27 flights while Midway stopped two. Altogether, heavy snow, ice, and winds are the major forces causing the disruption.

Furthermore, Denver has also seen its fair share of chaos. There have been 100 cancellations at Denver International Airport, with a further 182 delayed. These amendments have been forced by gusty winds in the area.

Transgender Flights
Southwest Airlines is one of the airlines implementing changes. Photo: Southwest

Airline waivers

Many US carriers have made statements to say that they have issued waivers for some of their flights due to the disruptions.

United Airlines' operations in the Northeast expect to be further impacted by harsh conditions. Therefore, the carrier has shared that passengers can rearrange travel, including within the state of New England. A statement on its website read:

"We’ve issued a travel waiver for New England due to anticipated winter weather. If you’re traveling 12/1-12/2 you can change your flight at no cost on our mobile app, by direct messaging us here or calling Reservations at 1-800-864-8331."

Proactive approach

Meanwhile, the bad weather expected to continue over the next few days. Delta has been planning ahead in case of further issues. It has issued waivers for services within both the Northeast and Midwest. There were also previous waivers for some of its flights in the Midwest through till Saturday.

"Delta has proactively issued an additional waiver for 20 cities in the Midwest for Sunday, following another waiver issued yesterday for 22 cities in the Northeast Sunday and Monday, ahead of a winter storm forecast to bring frozen and mixed precipitation to regions over the weekend," Delta shared on its website.

Delta snow
Delta is one of many airlines that have issued waivers during the disruptions. Photo: Delta

The airline says that both of these waivers will allow its customers flexibility and make a one-time change to their schedule without incurring a fee for the change.

American Airlines has also issued waivers for the severe within the Northeast. Additionally, the airline has also put waivers for flights impacted by "Storm Ezekiel" in the Midwest. Passengers flying with the carrier to the below airports may be applicable under the waiver policy.

  • Appleton, Wisconsin (ATW)
  • Bismarck, North Dakota (BIS)
  • Duluth, Minnesota (DLH)
  • Fargo, North Dakota (FAR)
  • Green Bay, Wisconsin (GRB)
  • La Crosse, Wisconsin (LSE)
  • Marquette, Michigan (MQT)
  • Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota (MSP)
  • Rapid City, South Dakota (RAP)
  • Rochester, Minnesota (RST)
  • Sioux Falls, South Dakota (FSD)
  • Traverse City, Michigan (TVC)
  • Wausau, Wisconsin (CWA)

Altogether, the weather conditions are continuing to transform across states within the country, so it's advisable to keep an eye on the current situation. Ultimately, we hope that you have a safe and comfortable post-Thanksgiving flight.

Has your flight been disrupted by the severe weather making its way across the US? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.