Photo: DAVID MCNEW / Getty Images
Airlines in the United States have so far canceled more than 2,000 domestic and international flights for Sunday, as a powerful winter storm with rain, sleet and snow is about to hit the East Coast over the holiday weekend.
Almost 90% of flights leaving Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, a hub for American Airlines, have been canceled, according to the tracking site of FlightAware flights.
American Airlines preemptively canceled 1, 155 flights on Sunday in its main and regional operations after canceling 492 Saturday.
“This weekend’s winter storm is expected to have a significant impact on our operation, especially at Charlotte International Airport (CLT),” American said in a statement.
The airline also issued a travel advisory allowing weather-affected customers to rebook flights free of charge.
We’ve got options to help weather this storm! 🌨
—americanair (@AmericanAir) January 30, 2022
American is not the only airline with canceled flights. At 10: 30 Saturday EST, Southwest canceled 264 flights, or 7% of its operations according to FlightAware, while Delta Air Lines canceled 191 flights, or 8% of its operation.
Other airports in the southeast also face significantive cancellations on Sunday, such as the Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina that canceled 14 of its flights that day. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport canceled 191 of its flights on Sunday.
On Saturday there were more than 400 cancellations and 2, delays in the United States as the winter storm moved south.
Almost 60 Millions of people were under winter weather alerts Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
The huge storm system is approaching the eastern United States from the Midwest and frost is expected in parts of Georgia, Virginia and the Carolinas on Sunday. The governors of those states have declared emergencies.
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