By Evgenia Filimianova
U.S. airlines have rolled out sweeping travel waivers as a powerful winter storm threatens to disrupt air travel across a wide swath of the country heading into the weekend, with forecasters warning of heavy snow, ice, and dangerously cold temperatures.
The National Weather Service said on Jan. 23 that a complex weather system would produce “heavy snow over the Central/Southern Plains and Middle/Lower Mississippi Valley” along with “catastrophic ice accumulation from the Southern Plains to the Southeast” and “bitterly cold temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills from the Southern Plains to the Northeast.”
The storm could be among the largest winter weather events in years due to its sheer geographic reach, according to AccuWeather, with heavy snow forecast from the eastern slopes of the Rockies to the Northeast corridor.
Major cities expected to be impacted include Denver, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Nashville, Indianapolis, Washington, New York City, and Boston.
AccuWeather warned that snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour in some locations could overwhelm road crews and airport operations, making deicing and runway clearing difficult or ineffective.
“It is rare that storms combine this much snow, ice and bitter cold over such a large area — a widespread travel-halting winter storm will stall daily life for days in large portions of the central and eastern U.S.,” AccuWeather Senior Vice President Evan Myers said in a Jan. 22 report.
The company said thousands of flights could be canceled nationwide as aircraft and crews are displaced, even at airports where skies remain clear. It warned that recovery could take several days because plunging temperatures may limit the effectiveness of ice-melting chemicals.
Several airlines have adjusted their flight schedules and issued or expanded waivers for customers.
Delta Air Lines said on Jan. 22 that it had started canceling flights in parts of the South and central United States as the storm moves east.
“Due to these expected conditions, flight cancelations are necessary at select airports in North Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee to ensure the safety of our customers and people,” Delta said.
The airline said the storm was forecast to begin affecting operations in the Northeast from the afternoon of Jan. 25 onward and that it had issued a travel waiver for Eastern North America, in addition to an earlier waiver covering parts of the central and southeastern United States.
United Airlines issued a waiver spanning much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast and parts of the Carolinas and Ohio Valley, including its Newark and Washington-area operations.
American Airlines said in a Jan. 22 alert that customers affected by severe weather or other uncontrollable events may be able to change their trips with no change fee.
Eligible customers can rebook travel through Jan. 30, 2026, subject to certain conditions, according to the airline.
Spirit Airlines said in a Jan. 21 post on X that it had issued a travel advisory due to the winter storm and urged customers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
The carrier said in an advisory that flexible travel policies were in place for affected cities between Jan. 23 and Jan. 26, 2026, allowing customers to rebook through Jan. 31 without a modification charge.
