Airlines across the United States have delayed numerous flights this morning as winter storms batter some US states and Texas the hardest. In parts of Texas, up to half an inch of snow/ice is expected through Wednesday morning.
Weather disruptions
As of 09:40 PT, 1,861 flights have been delayed throughout the country, and a further 695 have been canceled. Southwest Airlines, which had a major meltdown at the end of December, has kept its delay and cancelation rates extremely low. Of the Dallas-based carrier’s 3,828 flights scheduled today, just 332 (8%) have been canceled, and 255 (6%)have been delayed.
The two Dallas-area airports are the most affected, according to data from Flight Aware. At Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, 117 flights were canceled, and a further 97 were delayed, 13% and 11% of daily operations, respectively. Dallas Love Field, a major airport for Southwest, has a significant number of cancelations but a low delay rate.
Denver International Airport (DEN) is the next-most affected airport, with over 100 delays and cancelations. Interruptions are at a low rate in Denver but are likely to rise as the day progresses. Just 48 flights have been canceled, amounting to 5% of today’s flights, and another 72 delayed, or 8% of schedules.
Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport is close behind DEN, with a higher delay rate and extremely low cancelation rate. So far, 113 flights have been delayed at O’Hare, amounting to 12% of the airport’s daily operations. Only 11 were canceled, 1% of the daily schedule.
Last night, Southwest issued a weather waiver and this morning extended it to eight airports throughout Texas and Oklahoma for flights from today through Wednesday. American Airlines, headquartered in Fort Worth and using DFW as its central hub, also issued a waiver for travel from January 29-February 2.
Weather disruptions in New Zealand
Across the world, in Auckland, New Zealand, air travel was significantly disrupted after the city was showered with rain and the airport flooded. The flooding led to the airport being closed for a few days and reopening for domestic services on Saturday and international services on Sunday.
The flooding led to more than 1,000 international travelers being stranded and sleeping overnight at the airport. Over the weekend, the airport issued an update stating that schedules would take time to return to normal.
Airport infrastructure was significantly impacted, and airport staff and volunteers worked through the night to ensure everything was cleaned up and functioning before international services resumed.
Auckland Airport CEO Carrie Hurihanganui thanked more than 100 volunteers who sacrificed their time fixing their problems in their houses.
Because of the airport closures, both American Airlines and Emirates operated long-haul flights that landed in the same city they departed from. EK448 from Dubai to Auckland was about six-and-a-half hours into its journey to Auckland when the aircraft turned back to Dubai. AA35 from DFW to Auckland, operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was about five hours into its flight when it turned around and returned to Dallas.