9,000+ Flights Already Canceled Due to Storm

Our winter of discontent continues. USA Today‘s Ben Mutzabaugh reports airlines have already canceled upwards of 3,000 flights due to the latest winter storm. That includes 1,949 flights proactively canceled for Tuesday and another 1,191 for Wednesday.

Tallying up all the cancellations from this year’s winter storms has become a dizzying mathematical quandary. But with 3,000 cancellations already and likely many more to come, this storm should put winter’s total at around 20,000.

What’s notable about this storm is the wide path of disruption it will cut across the country, including a direct hit on Chicago, a major hub for United, American, and Southwest. Detroit, a major Delta connection point, is also looking at a foot or more of snow. Early reports say flights are grounded in Dallas due to severe icing on the runways. This means travelers in unaffected areas can expect ripple-effect delays and cancellations as well. And this is all before the storm slams into the Northeast.

Most airlines have already waived change fees and, in some cases, fare differences for people set to travel during the storm.

This is the sixth major winter storm to affect travel since Christmas. Travelers and airlines are likely getting pretty sick of all the snow, and all the delays, cancellations, and inconvenience. But what can you do? Up here in Boston, at least, we try to keep things humorous—say, by comparing the season’s snowfall total to the height of Celtics center Shaquille O’Neal.

Readers, has this crazy winter affected your travels? How are you coping with the seemingly endless snow? Or are you one of those smart people that spends the winters someplace warm?