Traffic moves along Interstate 30 after a snowstorm on February 15, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Ron Jenkins | Getty Images
Airlines have canceled more than 4,000 flights in Texas since Monday when an unusual winter storm with snow, ice and record cold temperatures hit the state, creating dangerous road conditions and cutting out millions of power.
Nearly 900 flights to and from Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport, American Airlines’ largest hub, were canceled on Tuesday, more than half of the schedule. Nearly 1,000 flights were canceled there on Monday as the storm snapped the trip at the end of the Presidents Day weekend.
American put airport workers at airport hotels to avoid commuting problems.
The DFW flight problems are related to the weather, but our teams are also having problems getting to the airport. For the crew, we are covered, but delays can occur if the crew gets into place. For members of the airport team: we are bringing hotel rooms closer to the airport. But hotel rooms are limited in the area given the greater power issues.
George Bush Intercontinental / Houston Airport, a major United Airlines hub and the city’s William P. Hobby Airport, a Southwest Airlines hub, said they would remain closed until 4:00 pm CT.
More than 100 flights in and out of Chicago were also canceled on Tuesday after the region received more snow.
Airline schedules have been slashed due to the pandemic, but the storm hit after airlines saw rising demand for the long weekend. The Transportation Security Administration’s daily U.S. airport displays reached more than 1 million on Thursdays and Fridays for the first time since early January.
Southwest Airlines said Tuesday that holiday travel demand has been up since January this month, although still 65% and 70% below its 2019 levels, slightly better than a previous forecast.
“We suspect these flight cancellations and delays will have a small financial impact,” Cowen aviation analyst Helane Becker said in a note.