Travelers look at flight status boards as flights are delayed or canceled due to a severe winter storm at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on January 26, 2026.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
Airlines canceled more than 5,000 flights through Monday and waived cancellation and change fees at airports from Virginia to Maine ahead of another major winter storm on the East Coast. Airlines will be put to the test again at the end of the winter break.
The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for much of New Jersey, the New York City area, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island and parts of Massachusetts. The storm could dump more than 2 feet of snow in some areas and bring wind gusts exceeding 60 mph. The NWS warned that visibility will be poor and travel will be dangerous.
About two-thirds of flights to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport were canceled on Sunday, according to FlightAware, and about 40% of departures were also cancelled. The chaos is expected to worsen as snow continues to fall on Monday. More than 70% of flights departing Monday at Boston Logan International Airport were canceled.
Airlines routinely cancel flights before major storms to avoid knocking aircraft and crews out of position and to make it easier to resume operations after the storm passes.
delta airlines, american airlines, jet blue airlines, united airlines Spirit Airlines has waived fees and fare differences for passengers if they can travel by February 26. southwest airlines It said customers are eligible for a change without paying the fare difference if they can rebook the flight or flight standby within two weeks.
January’s Winter Storm Fern brought severe cold and widespread travel disruptions across large swathes of the United States.
American Airlines has been struggling to rebuild, facing harsh criticism from its flight attendants, some of whom were stranded and had to sleep at the airport, and tensions between front-line workers and CEO Robert Isom.
The storm cost American Airlines between $150 million and $200 million in lost revenue, the airline said on an earnings call last month.
