Thousands of flights delayed, canceled following weekend winter storm
Winter weather plagues airports with delays and cancellations; Bryan Llenas reports.
More than a 1,000 flights have been canceled or delayed in anticipation of snow and icy conditions Tuesday, as a winter storm threatens the Midwest, the South and the East Coast of the United States.
There are 977 flight cancellations and 143 delays as of 4:55 a.m., according to FlightAware.com.
"A dangerous week of cold air and travel conditions are coming up," Fox News Senior Meteorologist Janice Dean said Monday. "Snow and ice will coat even the Deep South Tuesday through Wednesday, which will make travel incredibly difficult and possibly crippling."
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has canceled 170 flights to a from Atlanta on Tuesday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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On Monday night, nearly 300 flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were canceled, according to USA Today. Atlanta expected an uptick in travel during Super Bowl LIII Sunday, which will be played in downtown Atlanta in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Delta has 60 deicing trucks at the Hartsfield-Jackson, the Journal-Constitution reported.
"During the hours of anticipated snowfall, the airline will strategically decrease its flight load to mitigate delays and keep the operation moving. Customers can expect deicing operations at the airport during the period of snowfall," a release from the airline said Monday afternoon, according to The Tennessean.
Delta has also issued a weather waiver for the Atlanta airport as well as 26 airports throughout the Northeast, according to the Weather Channel. The waiver would allow customers on flights that could be affected to change their flight plans without a fee, the report said.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 flights were canceled at Chicago's largest airports on Monday and United Airlines extended its travel waiver for the Windy City through Feb. 1 "in anticipation of severe winter weather."
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In the southwest, Denver International Airport has had 96 snow-related flight delays and cancellations Monday, The Denver Post reported, citing airport statistics.
Southwest Airlines had canceled 535 flights – 14 percent of its scheduled flights – as of 3:55 a.m. Tuesday, according to FlightAware.com.
Southwest spokesman Brian Parrish told USA Today that the airline had proactively canceled Tuesday flights due to the winter storm.
Heavy snow and gusting winds have also created blizzard-like conditions in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and other Midwestern states where officials have closed schools, courthouses and businesses.
In Wisconsin, courthouses and most offices were closed in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Columbia and Washington counties, while more than three dozen flights were canceled early Monday at the Milwaukee area's largest airport, Mitchell International Airport.
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Winter storm warnings and advisories were posted stretching from Mississippi stretching up through Tennessee into West Virginia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.