Over 1,400 flights cancelled as ice storm hits multiple US states
A Ryanair aircraft, which was carrying Belarusian opposition blogger and activist Roman Protasevich and diverted to Belarus, where authorities detained him, lands at Vilnius Airport in Vilnius, Lithuania May 23, 2021. REUTERS/Andrius Sytas
Airlines canceled over 1,800 flights in the United States on Wednesday, after an ice storm hit states from Texas to West Virginia.
A total of 1,897 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled, while 750 flights were delayed as of 8.41 a.m. ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.
"This week's winter storm is having an impact on our operations, accounting for a significant number of cancelations," American Airlines Group Inc said in a statement, adding that it proactively canceled flights and notified passengers.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday warned in a tweet that travelers could expect to see some snowy conditions in certain areas including Dallas, Fort Worth and Memphis, which could delay certain flights.
"The ongoing winter storm will continue to bring hazardous impacts to North and Central Texas through at least early Thursday morning," The U.S. National Weather Service said in its Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area forecast discussion.
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Fort Worth, Texas-based American led the cancellations with nearly 800 flights, while low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines Co followed with cancelling 501 flights.
Southwest did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The latest cancellations come nearly a month after Southwest faced U.S. government backlash for canceling 16,700 flights over the holidays, as bad weather overwhelmed its crew scheduling system.