Traffic is moving along Interstate 30 after a snowstorm on February 15, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Ron Jenkins | Getty Images
Airlines canceled more than 4,000 flights to Texas since Monday, as an unusual winter storm that caused record snow, ice and cold temperatures affected the state, creating dangerous road conditions and removing energy. to millions.
About 900 flights to and from Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport, the largest center of American Airlines, were canceled on Tuesday, more than half the time. Nearly 1,000 flights were canceled on Monday, as the storm made a trip at the end of Presidents’ Day weekend.
American was putting airport staff in airport hotels to avoid travel problems.
DFW flight problems are associated with the weather, but our teams also have trouble getting to the airport. For the crew, we are covered, but there may be delays as the crew gets in place. For airport team members, hotel rooms are closer to the airport, but hotel rooms are limited to the area, given the larger energy issues.
George Bush Intercontinental / Houston Airport, a major United Airlines hub, and the city’s William P. Hobby Airport, a Southwest Airlines hub, said they would remain closed until 4 p.m.
More than 100 flights to and from Chicago were also canceled on Tuesday after the region received more snow.
Airlines ’schedules have been drastically reduced due to the pandemic, but the storm fell after carriers saw an increase in demand over the long weekend. Daily projections of U.S. security administration airports topped one million on Thursday and Friday for the first time since early January.
Southwest Airlines said on Tuesday that it has seen an increase in demand for leisure travel this month since January, although it is still 65% and 70% below 2019 levels, slightly better than the previous forecast.
“We suspect there will be a small financial impact due to these flight cancellations and delays,” Cowen airline analyst Helane Becker said in a note.