Before they tuck into turkey, millions of Americans will be wondering if the weather will affect their flight tomorrow. In the East, a winter storm that originated in Texas is threatening heavy rains along the coast Wednesday and snow farther inland.
The accompanying high winds and low clouds could snarl flights from Washington to Boston, and at least four airlines— Delta (DAL), United (UAL), US Airways (LCC), and JetBlue Airways (JBLU)— have dropped their fees for ticket changes to allow some travelers with flights today and Wednesday to change their plans. Few were interested. “People have made these plans for quite a while so they really want to try to stick to it,” says Todd Lehmacher, a spokesman for US Airways (LCC), which allowed changes for travel to 39 U.S. and Canadian cities.
Given that most of the larger cities affected by the weather—Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore and Washington—are expected to see rain, not snow, airlines are likely to take a cautious approach to early cancellations. “I think they’re hoping they can get through the day with mostly delays rather than mass cancellations,” says Daniel Baker, CEO of FlightAware, a Houston-based flight-tracking company.
As of mid-day Tuesday, airlines had not made any large, prophylactic cancellations for flights on Wednesday, as they often do when heavy snow is expected. Delta could have a few “tactical cancels” Wednesday in cities where heavy snow may affect regional flights to the airline’s hubs, spokesman Morgan Durrant said.
One reason flight times may be postponed is that the Federal Aviation Administration is likely to impose arrival and departure delays at airports affected by the weather. The agency can order ground stops for airports experiencing the worst conditions. That means all flights to and from those airports must wait for a clearance. The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for the New York City metro region and southern Connecticut from midnight to 2 p.m. EST Wednesday.
