A powerful winter storm system forecast to sweep across the southern and eastern United States from Friday, January 23, through Sunday, January 25, is already disrupting air travel plans nationwide, with major U.S. airlines warning of widespread delays and cancellations and urging passengers to act now to protect their rights and avoid out-of-pocket losses.
Major Winter Storm Poised to Disrupt Key U.S. Aviation Corridors
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service are tracking a sprawling winter storm, widely referred to by private forecasters as Winter Storm Fern, that is expected to bring a dangerous mix of heavy snow, freezing rain and ice to a broad corridor stretching from Texas through the Deep South and into the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic over the weekend of January 23 to 25, 2026. The system is expected to move slowly, lingering over some of the busiest aviation corridors in the country.
Forecasters are warning that ice accumulation on runways and taxiways, together with low visibility and gusty winds, could periodically halt operations at multiple airports, including major hubs in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Charlotte. Even airports outside the direct impact zone, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest, may see knock-on delays as aircraft and crews end up out of position.
Early this week, a separate snowstorm across the Northeast already forced hundreds of cancellations at New York area airports, underscoring how fragile airline schedules can be at the height of winter. This new system threatens to be more widespread and longer lasting, raising the prospect of multi-day disruptions for both domestic and connecting international passengers.
Industry analysts say the storm is arriving at a time when airlines are still operating with relatively tight staffing and aircraft utilization, leaving little slack in the system when severe weather interrupts normal operations. That has prompted carriers and regulators to push out unusually direct messages urging travelers to rebook early, know their rights and avoid getting stranded at the airport.
Airlines Roll Out Broad Travel Waivers and Flexible Rebooking
In advance of the storm, the four largest U.S. airlines, along with several low cost carriers, have issued travel waivers that allow affected passengers to change their flights without traditional change fees, and in many cases without paying any difference in fare if they travel within a defined time window.
Delta Air Lines has activated a comprehensive winter weather waiver for a long list of cities across the Southern Plains and Southeast, including Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh Durham and numerous secondary airports across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas. For customers with tickets issued on or before January 21 and travel dates between January 23 and 25, the carrier is allowing one-time rebooking in the same cabin with no change fee and no fare difference when travel begins by January 28.
American Airlines has introduced a similar waiver covering dozens of airports in the southern United States, allowing travelers scheduled to fly January 23 to 25 to move their trips to alternate dates, generally through January 28, without incurring change fees when they keep the same origin, destination and cabin. United Airlines has also posted a waiver that includes Houston and other southeastern airports, giving customers flexibility to shift their flights earlier or later around the storm window.
Several carriers, including Southwest, have indicated they are monitoring conditions closely and may expand or adjust waivers as the track and intensity of the storm become clearer. Travel advisors are encouraging passengers to check their airline’s alerts page or mobile app multiple times a day, since eligibility windows and covered airports are being updated in real time as forecasts evolve.
What Travelers Are Entitled To When Flights Are Delayed or Canceled
While winter storms are generally categorized as weather events outside an airline’s control, and therefore do not trigger all of the same obligations that apply during crew or maintenance related disruptions, U.S. carriers still have clear responsibilities when a flight is delayed or canceled. The exact benefits a passenger receives will depend on the cause of the disruption, the airline’s own policies and whether the traveler accepts a rebooking or chooses not to travel.
Under federal rules, passengers are always entitled to a refund of the unused portion of their ticket, including mandatory taxes and fees, if their flight is canceled or significantly changed and they choose not to travel. This applies even to nonrefundable tickets and basic economy fares. If an airline instead offers vouchers or credits, travelers may decline these and request their money back when they no longer wish to make the trip.
When a delay or cancellation is due to circumstances within the airline’s control, such as staffing shortages or mechanical issues, many large U.S. carriers commit to providing additional assistance such as complimentary meal vouchers, hotel accommodations for overnight stays and, in some cases, rebooking on another airline at no extra cost. These commitments are spelled out in each airline’s customer service plan and summarized on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard, which compares what each carrier promises in controllable situations.
During a severe winter storm, most disruptions will be listed as weather related. In those cases, airlines are generally not required to provide hotels or meal vouchers, though some may do so as a goodwill gesture. What they must still do is offer passengers a choice between a refund and rebooking on their own flights at the earliest opportunity. For travelers, understanding the difference between controllable and uncontrollable causes is critical when deciding whether to push for amenities or focus on securing an alternate itinerary.
How to Use Travel Waivers and Minimize Out of Pocket Costs
Consumer advocates say the single most effective way to protect both your itinerary and your wallet during this storm is to act before disruption hits. Once a travel waiver is in place for your route and dates, you can often move your trip by several days without paying a change fee or, if you keep the same route and cabin, a fare difference.
Experts advise starting with your airline’s app or website, which usually reflects waiver eligibility directly in the change flight tool. By proactively shifting a Friday or Saturday departure to earlier on Thursday or later early next week, travelers can avoid being caught in cascading cancellations that often unfold hour by hour as conditions deteriorate. Because rebooking capacity is finite, those who wait until day of departure may find far fewer options remaining.
When using a waiver, pay close attention to the fine print. Most carriers specify that you must keep the same origin and destination city to avoid additional charges. They also set a deadline by which new travel must begin, frequently January 28 for this storm, and require that you reissue your ticket by a certain date. If you decide the trip no longer makes sense, you may be able to cancel and retain a flight credit valid for up to one year, but any future itinerary could be subject to fare differences and change fees once outside the waiver window.
For itineraries booked through online travel agencies or corporate travel programs, changes may need to be made via the original booking channel. However, when mass disruptions occur, many airlines will work directly with passengers even on third party bookings, particularly if the change involves a simple shift in travel dates under an active waiver. Call centers often experience long hold times during major storms, making digital self service tools the most efficient first step for many travelers.
Documenting Your Case: Records, Receipts and Written Confirmations
As airlines brace for large volumes of disrupted passengers, travel attorneys and consumer groups stress the value of meticulous record keeping. In a fluid situation where flights are being retimed, rerouted or canceled at short notice, having a clear chronology of events and costs can make the difference between a successful claim and a denied request later on.
Travelers are encouraged to take screenshots of any delay or cancellation notices in their airline app, as well as any online pages that describe waiver terms, rebooking policies or goodwill offers relevant to their ticket. Saving boarding passes, cancellation emails, and any chat transcripts with airline agents provides additional documentation that can be useful if disputes arise over what was promised at the time of disruption.
Receipts for meals, hotels, ground transportation and essential items purchased because of a delay or overnight stay should be retained even if the storm is officially categorized as weather related. While airlines have limited obligations in those circumstances, some carriers, travel insurance policies and credit card trip interruption benefits may reimburse reasonable expenses. Detailed receipts and notes on the circumstances will strengthen any later claim.
When an airline agent offers a specific arrangement, such as rebooking on a partner carrier or providing a hotel voucher, asking for the details in writing via email or in the app’s messaging system can help avoid confusion. If written confirmation is not available, recording the date, time, agent’s name and airport or call center location in a personal log is a useful fallback.
Leveraging the DOT Dashboard and Filing Complaints When Necessary
The U.S. Department of Transportation has in recent years increased pressure on airlines to clearly spell out their responsibilities to passengers, particularly during major disruptions. The agency’s Airline Customer Service Dashboard and its dedicated Cancellation and Delay Dashboard list, for each airline, whether it commits to rebooking on its own flights at no extra cost, placing passengers on partner airlines when necessary, and offering hotel and meal vouchers for controllable cancellations and lengthy delays.
Although these dashboards focus primarily on disruptions within an airline’s control, they can still be useful during a winter storm by providing a baseline of how each carrier treats customers during routine operations. Airlines are expected to honor any commitments published there. If a passenger believes that a carrier is not delivering what it has promised, the DOT encourages them to first seek resolution directly with the airline and, if unsatisfied, to file a formal complaint with the agency.
Complaints submitted to the DOT help regulators track patterns of behavior and can lead to enforcement actions or policy changes. They may also prompt airlines to review individual cases and, in some situations, to make discretionary refunds or offer additional compensation, particularly when communication during a chaotic event has been poor or inconsistent with advertised policies.
Consumer advocates emphasize that while a single complaint may not immediately change the outcome of a specific trip, collective reporting has been instrumental in prodding airlines to improve their customer service plans in recent years. For passengers affected by this winter storm, documenting their experiences and lodging complaints where warranted contributes to a broader push for more reliable and passenger centered air travel.
Travel Insurance, Credit Card Protections and When to Reroute
For many travelers, especially those headed to important events, cruises or international connections, travel insurance and premium credit card benefits can provide an extra layer of protection beyond airline policies. Trip cancellation and interruption coverage purchased from insurers or included with certain credit cards may reimburse nonrefundable hotels, tours, or cruises when flights are disrupted by severe weather, as long as the policy was in place before the storm became a forecast certainty.
Some policies also cover additional transportation costs to reach your destination when you need to reroute, for example by flying into a nearby airport that is less affected by the storm and then traveling by train or rental car. However, insurers typically require preauthorization for significant changes, and coverage terms vary widely. Travelers should review their policy documents carefully before incurring large expenses, and contact their insurer or card issuer’s assistance line early if rerouting becomes necessary.
Airline representatives and independent agents often warn that attempting to force travel through a major hub directly in the storm’s path is risky. In the case of this system, that means itineraries connecting through Dallas, Houston, Atlanta or Charlotte between January 23 and 25 could face repeated delays or cancellations. Where possible, asking an airline to reroute through alternative hubs outside the worst impact zone, even if it adds a connection, may improve the odds of reaching your destination on time.
For travelers whose trips are not time sensitive, the most stress free option may be to use the current waivers to move travel well outside the storm window, accepting a short term inconvenience in exchange for avoiding crowded terminals, long lines at customer service desks and the possibility of overnight airport stays.
Airports and Airlines Urge Passengers to Prepare Before Heading Out
As the storm approaches, airports across the South and Southeast are putting contingency plans into motion, from pre treating runways and deicing pads to preparing cots and basic supplies should passengers become stranded overnight. Airline operations centers are adjusting crew schedules, repositioning aircraft and trimming flight schedules in advance to reduce last minute cancellations once the worst weather arrives.
Despite those efforts, both airlines and airport authorities are cautioning that significant disruption is likely, particularly on peak travel days Friday and Saturday. Passengers are being urged to confirm flight status repeatedly before leaving for the airport, arrive earlier than usual to allow for longer lines at check in and security, and pack medications, chargers, warm clothing and essential items in carry on bags in case checked luggage is delayed.
For travelers prepared to act quickly, the combination of advance travel waivers, clear federal refund rules and growing transparency around airline customer service commitments offers more tools than in past storm seasons to safeguard both itineraries and finances. As Winter Storm Fern bears down on some of the nation’s busiest air corridors, those who understand their rights and options will be best positioned to navigate what is shaping up to be one of the most challenging air travel weekends of the year.