Delta cancels flights in five states as winter storm looms | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

With Winter Storm Fern expected to hit the East Coast of the U.S. over the weekend of Jan. 24, airlines are proactively canceling flights as some cities are projected to see more than two feet of snow and widespread power outages.

Delta Air Lines just announced that it was proactively canceling flights in North Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee, as forecasts currently indicate heavy snow and ice conditions in many areas of the states.

“Due to these expected conditions, flight cancelations are necessary at select airports in [the above states] to ensure the safety of our customers and people,” Delta said in a Jan. 22 release.

Delta flight cancellations hit Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana

Travel booking platform Hopper predicts that more than 15,000 flights across the country could be delayed on the weekend of January 24 and 25. As airlines tend not to keep a single list of canceled flights given the last-minute changes, travelers need to check specific bookings to see if their flight out of cities like Atlanta, Birmingham, Huntsville, Knoxville, or Nashville is affected.

“Delta is proactively adjusting staffing levels to ensure teams are in place to support our customers,” the airline said in a statement. “This includes sending experts from cold weather hubs to support deicing and baggage teams at airports such as Atlanta, Birmingham, Huntsville, Knoxville and Nashville.”

The airline has also put in place two waivers that let travelers whose fare class would otherwise not allow for free changes to rebook their flights.

The waiver for the Southeast U.S. was launched on Jan. 21 and allows anyone with a flight booked from affected states between Jan. 23 and 25 to rebook it for free on a date prior to Jan. 28.

States all across the eastern U.S. are expected to see more than a foot of snow during Winter Storm Fern.

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Flying out of a state affected by Winter Storm Fern? What to know about cancellations

Issued a day later on Jan. 22, the waiver for those traveling out of northeastern states including New York, Connecticut, Maine, and Pennsylvania between Jan. 24 and 26 can rebook their flight free of charge up until Jan. 29. These states are predicted to see heavy snowfall later in the weekend.

Customers who choose not to rebook can also receive a refund. As is customary in such cases, Delta is encouraging travelers with flights that have not been called off to check updates online or through the Delta app every hour in order to avoid an unnecessary trip to the airport.

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“Customers traveling on a U.S. domestic itinerary who experience a flight delay of three hours or more and choose not to fly — either on the original delayed flight or on a rebooked itinerary — are entitled to receive a full refund for the unflown portion of their ticket (including any ancillary fees paid or checked baggage charges),” Delta states.

“The same refund eligibility applies if a customer experiences a flight delay of six hours or more on an international itinerary and chooses not to fly.”