Airlines Cancel Over 1,000 Flights, Issue Waivers, as Winter Storm Slams the U.S.

The majority of Monday’s flight cancellations were concentrated around the Washington D.C. metro area.

By Alison Fox Alison Fox

Alison Fox is a Travel + Leisure contributor. She has also written for Parents.com, The Wall Street Journal, and amNewYork. When she’s not in New York City, she can be found at the beach or on the slopes. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on January 6, 2025

Close A United Airlines plane taxis as snow begins to fall at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. Photo:

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

A disruptive winter storm barreling across the country slammed the East Coast on Monday, causing chaos at airports over the weekend and canceling more than 1,000 flights to start the work week.

The storm, which first emerged from the Rockies, spread dangerous ice and snow across the United States, impacting more than a dozen states in the process, according to AccuWeather. By Monday, the storm was moving East with snow expected across northern Virginia and as far north as central Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey.

“AccuWeather snow experts are increasingly concerned about dangerous travel impacts from heavy snow across parts of the mid-Atlantic, including Washington, D.C., and the Baltimore metropolitan areas," AccuWeather’s Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said in a report.

The bad weather conditions quickly translated to flight disruptions with more than 1,490 flights canceled within, into, or out of the U.S. as of Monday morning, according to flight tracker FlightAware. That followed more than 1,800 flights that were canceled on Sunday.

The majority of Monday’s cancellations were concentrated around the Washington D.C. metro area. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) canceled the most flights with more than 230 outgoing flights nixed — accounting for 60 percent of the airport’s outgoing schedule. That was followed by Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and Dulles International Airport (IAD).

“Our airfield snow team is onsite for the duration of the storm,” DCA posted on X late Sunday night, adding travelers should “remember to closely monitor flight schedules with your airline for possible changes.”

When it came to airlines, Southwest Airlines had the most cancellations with more than 360, followed by Republic Airways, which operates flights for other major carrier partners, and American Airlines.

Several airlines issued flight waivers for states as far as Kansas, Ohio, Maryland, and beyond, including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Frontier Airlines.

Washington D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a Snow Emergency ahead of the storm, requiring drivers to move their cars off snow emergency routes. Maryland’s Gov. Wes Moore similarly declared a State of Emergency and “strongly encouraged” people to avoid travel, and New Jersey’s Gov. Phil Murphy declared a State of Emergency for southern parts of the state.