Flight Cancellations Piling Up at DFW Airport, Love Field as Texas Winter Storm Threatens

    Feb. 3, 2022

    By Kyle Arnold

    Source The Dallas Morning News (TNS)

    Flight cancellations grew ahead of forecasted snow and ice set to hit North Texas airports.

    After Southwest Airlines suspended operations at Dallas Love Field for Thursday, Fort Worth-based American Airlines canceled about 60 mainline flights out of its largest base at DFW International Airport on Wednesday and 200 outgoing flights on Thursday when the worst of the winter weather is expected.

    Including American’s regional carriers and partners, about 345 flights out of DFW were canceled Wednesday and about 600 for Thursday, according to FlightAware.com. At Love Field, 83 flights were canceled Wednesday and 335 on Thursday, although cancellations at each airport were expected to increase into Thursday.

    As American and Dallas-based Southwest braced for the snow and ice set to hit the region, the airlines enacted travel advisories that let passengers shift flights to other nearby dates without extra fees.

    This same weather system is hampering airline operations across the country from Kentucky to Texas. Southwest made major flight cuts at St. Louis Lambert Airport on Wednesday, where nearly 80% of all flights were canceled.

    The storm hitting the Dallas area could have major repercussions for both airlines, which have significant operations in the area.

    Love Field is the headquarters airport for Southwest Airlines and one of its largest airports in terms of flights with 344 a day on average during the month. DFW International is just a few miles from American Airlines headquarters and is the Fort Worth-based carrier’s largest hub with more than 1,400 flights a day on average in February.

    Nationwide, nearly 2,300 flights were canceled for Wednesday and another 3,100 flights have been preemptively nixed for Thursday.

    “This week’s winter storm is expected to have a significant impact on our operation, especially in the Northeast and Central regions of the United States,” said American Airlines spokeswoman Gianna Urgo in a statement. “The vast majority of impacted flights have been canceled in advance so we could proactively notify and accommodate our customers and avoid last-minute disruptions at the airport.”

    Both DFW Airport and Love Field are scheduled to be open all days.

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