More than 11,000 flights within and out of the US have been scrapped as Winter Storm Fern pummels the nation — with the cancellations nearing historic records.
A total of 11,123 cancellations have been reported just before noon on Sunday, with American Airlines suffering the biggest blow as 1,489 flights — nearly half of all its flights today — have been called off, according to the FlightAware tracking site.
The total is quickly approaching the record 12,143 cancellations that were seen on March 30, 2020, during the initial height of the COVID pandemic.
LaGuardia Airport has seen 436 of its outgoing flights cancelled, with the JFK International airport cancelling 443 trips out of New York.
Newark Liberty has canceled 83% of its flights, with 434 outgoing trips called off.
It was near-white out conditions at Philadelphia airport Sunday morning. APThe Charlotte Douglas International Airport, in North Carolina, was the hardest hit air hub, with 554 flights cancelled so far.
The brutal snowfall also triggered the Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. to cancel all of its 820 flights scheduled to arrive and depart from the airport.
The cancellations even extended far west, with 87 outgoing flights scrapped at LAX, FlightAware reported.
Flights across the nation have been impacted by the heavy snow. AFP via Getty ImagesBoth Southwest and Delta Airlines each saw more than 1,200 flights canceled, with United calling off 934 trips, more than a third of its total flights scheduled for Sunday.
American Airlines has said it is waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the storm and adding extra flights around the country to help customers reach their final destination after the storm ends.
Despite the major cancellations, the impacted airports remain open to provide help and warmth to passengers left stranded by the storm.
Along with the cancellations, 12,868 delays were also reported for flights coming into and leaving the US so far, according to FlightAware.
Winter Storm Fern is expected to keep burying multiple states in snow and sleet throughout Sunday before tapering off midday Monday. The National Weather Service warned that the final total could be as much as 14 inches in NYC by Monday, the highest snow total since 2021.
