Topline
The four largest U.S. airlines on Wednesday issued travel advisories ahead of a major snowstorm expected to impact the eastern two-thirds of the country this weekend.
The National Weather Service is predicting a monster snowstorm this weekend that will span more than a dozen states and snarl air travel.
getty
Key Facts
An extremely cold airmass, combined with a frontal zone to its south, will produce a “major winter storm from the Central/Southern Plains to the East Coast beginning Friday and continuing through the weekend,” according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service (NWS).
Delta Air Lines issued a travel advisory allowing passengers ticketed to fly in or out of 41 airports in a dozen states between Friday through Sunday to rebook for free for travel through next Wednesday.
American Airlines has a travel alert covering 34 airports spanning 14 states across the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions, offering waivers to passengers scheduled to fly Friday through Sunday.
United Airlines’ travel alert covers 26 airports across the Southern U.S., waiving change fees for passengers with tickets to fly Saturday through Monday.
Southwest Airlines issued a travel advisory for passengers traveling Friday through Monday in or out of 26 airports across Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Key Background
The NWS is forecasting frigid temperatures across the eastern two-thirds of the country this weekend, with gusty winds downing trees and power lines, and the potential for long-lasting power outages and dangerous cold. “Sub-zero and single digit temperatures” will begin in the Upper Midwest and expand from the Northern Plains Thursday into the Mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and Northeast by Sunday.
Crucial Quote
“Widespread travel disruptions are likely across the country this weekend,” said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather. “Thousands of flight cancellations are possible nationwide as snow and ice affect major airports, with delays and cancellations likely to ripple across the country.”
The pink swath across much of the U.S. indicates where snow and ice are forecast this weekend.
AccuWeather
What To Watch For If Traveling This Weekend
Travelers ticketed to fly Friday through Sunday may encounter flight delays and cancellations, even if they are not traveling through areas impacted by the storm. Flights in late afternoon are statistically more likely to be disrupted, as flight delays and cancellations in the morning tend to create a domino effect, causing a backlog that grows as the day wears on.
How Can Air Travelers Stay Updated On Potential Flight Disruptions?
Travelers should check their flight status before heading to the airport to make sure it is operating on time. Passengers with flights covered by an airline travel waiver may consider rebooking to a later date without having to pay a change fee or fare difference. Airlines advise downloading the carrier’s app to monitor for updates. For an earlier heads-up, passengers check their flight’s on-time status with the Flighty app or they can plug their flight information into FlightAware and click the “Where is my plane now?” link just under the flight number. The tool lets travelers see if the plane is ahead of schedule, on time or behind schedule—often before the airline announces a delay or cancellation.
Tangent
Most flight disruptions in the U.S. are weather-related. Airlines are not required to provide accommodations, meals or monetary compensation if disruptions are caused by weather as it is beyond their control. Last year, Winter Storm Blair disrupted more than 22,000 flights over a two-day period in early January. And a historic nor’easter in January 2022 resulted in more than 5,000 canceled flights and $35 million in losses for U.S. airlines.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Major Winter Storms?
It depends on the fine print and timing of purchase. Many travel insurance policies provide coverage if a trip is significantly impacted by winter weather, particularly for disruptions related to a weather-related flight cancellation or an extended delay. Benefits will be noted in the policy as trip cancellation, trip interruption, travel delay, extension of coverage or missed connection coverage. But note that in most cases the traveler must have purchased the policy before the storm was announced and forecasted to impact the trip. Otherwise, the disruption may be considered a “foreseen event,” and coverage could be denied.
Further Reading
U.S. South And East Coast Brace For Major Weekend Winter Storm (Forbes)
For Airlines, Trump’s Deregulation Is Gift That Keeps On Giving (Forbes)
