Airlines issue travel waivers as winter storms target Southwest, Midwest
Airlines are issuing a flurry of travel waivers as half of the country prepares for a blast of wintry weather.
Two storm systems are set to pelt nearly half the nation with snow and rain throughout the week and into next week, according to the National Weather Service.
Heavy snow is expected to begin falling in Nebraska and Kansas by late Monday morning. Forecasters expect it to then push through the Plains states and northeastward through Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois through Tuesday.
That storm, developing in the Rocky Mountains, will later move into parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and produce snow, Accuweather senior meteorologist Alan Reppert told USA TODAY on Sunday.
Another storm came through Northern California on Sunday evening and is now moving southward. It’s forecast to bring at least a foot of snow to the Sierra Nevada mountains and rainfall to other parts of the state. The snowfall is also forecast to cover parts of Arizona and Colorado.
Airlines issue waivers and proactively cancel flights so they don’t strand passengers and planes. The destinations covered, travel dates and other fine print vary by airline and are likely to change with the storms’ projected path and severity.
American, Delta, Southwest and United have already issued waivers covering travel on Monday and Tuesday for much of the Midwest. They seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach in the Southwest: so far, none have issued waivers for states south of Kansas.
According to FlightAware, nearly 200 flights into, out of and within the United States are canceled for Monday, with just over another 100 canceled for Tuesday.
American Airlines
Travel dates covered: Jan. 25-26
Destinations covered: 18, extending from Des Moines, Iowa, to Detroit
More information:https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/travel-alerts.jsp
Delta Air Lines
Travel dates covered: Jan. 25-26
Destinations covered: Nine, including Omaha, Nebraska; Kansas City, Missouri; and both Chicago airports
More information:https://www.delta.com/us/en/advisories/weather-alerts/midwest-winter-weather
Southwest Airlines
Travel dates covered: Jan. 25-26
Destinations covered: Four, including Chicago Midway; Des Moines, Iowa; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Omaha, Nebraska
More information:https://www.southwest.com/html/advisories/swa_travel_advisory_20210241611512548054.html
United Airlines
Travel dates covered: Jan. 25-26
Destinations covered: 14, including Kansas City, Cleveland and Chicago O’Hare
More information: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/notices.html#northamerica-waivers
Snow in Malibu? Nearly half of U.S., from California to Kansas to New York, braces for wintry weather
Contributing: Elinor Aspegren, Dawn Gilbertson
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