US airlines cancel over 1,800 flights as ice storm hits multiple states

AIRLINES cancelled over 1,800 flights in the United States on Wednesday (Feb 1), after an ice storm hit states from Texas to West Virginia.

A total of 1,897 flights within, into or out of the United States were cancelled, while 750 flights were delayed as of 8.41am ET (9.41pm Singapore time), according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

“This week’s winter storm is having an impact on our operations, accounting for a significant number of cancellations,” American Airlines Group said in a statement, adding that it proactively cancelled flights and notified passengers.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday warned in a tweet that travellers could expect to see some snowy conditions in certain areas including Dallas, Fort Worth and Memphis, which could delay certain flights.

“The ongoing winter storm will continue to bring hazardous impacts to North and Central Texas through at least early Thursday morning,” The US National Weather Service said in its Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area forecast discussion.

Fort Worth, Texas-based American led the cancellations with nearly 800 flights, while low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines followed with cancelling 501 flights.

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Southwest did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The latest cancellations come nearly a month after Southwest faced US government backlash for cancelling 16,700 flights over the holidays, as bad weather overwhelmed its crew scheduling system. REUTERS