9,000+ Flights Already Canceled Due to Storm

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

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**Update: According to FlightAware.com, over 9,000 flights have been canceled between today and tomorrow, as of 1:30 p.m. FlightAware is showing 6,417 cancellations today, and 2,994 tomorrow. Hardest hit airports are Chicago O’Hare, Dallas Ft. Worth, and the New York-area airports. American alone has canceled over 700 flights today. You can keep up with the cancellations here.

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?

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