A massive winter storm affecting the Southeast is leading to a growing number of flight cancellations in the United States. Named Izzy by The Weather Channel, the storm is causing chaos accross large parts of the country as it leaves roads covered in snow and ice this holiday weekend. Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday, which will see many schools and offices closed.

Before arriving on the East Coast, Izzy dumped up to a foot of snow on North Dakota and Minnesota and had snow falling at a rate of one inch per hour in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday afternoon. As we moved into Saturday, around 64 million people were under winter weather alerts as airlines started canceling flights. Before the arrival of Izzy, the governors of Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas all declared a state of emergency.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) has been hit the hardest

According to the flight tracking and date website FlightAware, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in North Carolina, a major hub for American Airlines, saw nearly 90% of all flights canceled. When speaking about the weather disruptions in a company statement, American Airlines said:

"This weekend's winter storm is expected to have a significant impact on our operation, especially at Charlotte International Airport (CLT)."

Southwest Airlines Snow Getty
At the time of writing, Southwest Airlines had the most US cancelations today. Photo: Getty Images

And it is not just American Airlines who are canceling flights. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)-based Delta Air Lines has canceled 153 flights, while budget carrier Southwest has canceled 164 flights while issuing a weather warning that said:

"Based on the forecasted weather conditions for the cities and dates listed below, our scheduled service may be disrupted flights may be delayed, diverted, and or canceled."

Saturday-Sunday, January 15-16

  • Atlanta, GA (ATL)
  • Birmingham, AL (BHM)
  • Charlotte, NC (CLT)
  • Greenville/Spartanburg, SC (GSP)
  • Jackson, MS (JAN)
  • Little Rock, AR (LIT)
  • Memphis, TN (MEM)
  • Nashville, TN (BNA)
  • Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU)

JetBlue and Spirit Airlines also issued travel warnings for Sunday and waived change fees for customers affected by the storm.

The storm has already caused significant disruption

Before arriving in the Southeast today, the storm caused more than 400 cancellations and 2,000 delays and has caused Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) to cancel half of all flights. Things aren't quite as bad further south, with Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) only having to withdraw 19% of the 155 flights scheduled for Sunday.

Delta Air Lines Airbus A220-100 Getty
Bird strikes cause billions of dollars worth of damage to airliners every year. Photo: Getty Images

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Omicron hasn't helped either

The bad weather adds to the misery for many travelers this weekend after a miserable few weeks that saw airlines cancel thousands of flights due to staff shortages. With the Omicron variant of the coronavirus appearing unstoppable, airlines have had staffing problems as people stayed home to self-isolate.

While it appears to be worse in the United States, other airlines worldwide are suffering staff shortages due to Omicron. Finland national flag carrier Finnair has been hit so hard that it has decided to cancel 20% of all flights it had scheduled for February, hoping that this would alleviate the need to cancel flights at the last minute.

Has your flight been affected by storm Izzy? If so, please tell us what happened in the comments.