Winter storm: 2,800+ flights canceled as Austin airport closes, Houston airports delay reopening

February 16, 2021
Travel

The misery brought on by Monday’s record-breaking winter storm continues to create havoc for travelers in the South, especially in Texas.

Austin Bergstrom International Airport announced that it has canceled all arriving and departing flights for Tuesday. Meanwhile, both of Houston’s airports, George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby, pushed back their restart times until at least 4 p.m. CST.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport led the entire world in cancellations and flight delays as of 4 p.m. EST Tuesday morning, followed by Houston Bush Intercontinental. Nationwide, there were more than 2,800 flight cancellations and more than 1,300 delays, according to FlightAware.com. Austin, and Nashville were also in the top 10 worldwide. Southwest had the most cancellations of any airline in the world, followed by American.

Wednesday isn’t looking much better: Airlines have already canceled nearly 1,800 flights, including more than 400 on American.

DFW and Nashville International Airport remain open but both caution that they expected more flights to be canceled or delayed. DFW tweeted that Tuesday’s -2℉ temperature had matched a 121-year-old record. Meanwhile, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit commuter train line said it was suspending service until Thursday.

Nashville, roads throughout Middle Tennessee remain “hazardous,” the National Weather Service said.

It’s going to be pretty slick again,” Brenden Schaper, a meteorologist with the NWS in Nashville, said Monday night. “Road conditions through (Tuesday) will still be quite treacherous, so take it easy if you have to be on the roads.”

In Austin, Texas, thousands were still without power Tuesday and the city's airport closed.

At least six people in four states died as a result of the winter storm since the weekend.

The “massive” winter storm was forecast to continue moving across the Midwest and Northeast, bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain Tuesday, and another winter storm was expected to reach south-central U.S. with snow and ice, the National Weather Service said.

As of Tuesday morning, only American and United Airlines, which both have a massive presence in the Lonestar State, still had active flight waivers. American’s is effective through Wednesday and covers 22 destinations in Texas and Oklahoma while United’s covers travel in and out of Houston through Thursday.