More than 1,800 US flights canceled Tuesday, airlines issue travel waivers

Flight cancellations mounted Tuesday as an arctic cold front spans from central Texas to the East Coast this week.

A "significant" ice storm will continue to affect a large swath of the United States "from the southern Plains to the Tennessee Valley," the National Weather Service said Tuesday.

More than 1,800 U.S. flights were canceled around 6 p.m. ET Tuesday, with more than 3,900 more delayed, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. Southwest Airlines saw the most cancellations, scrapping around 601 flights, or about 15% of its schedule.

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Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport, Dallas Love Field Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York also issued ground stops Tuesday due to wintry conditions.

While the Department of Transportation requires airlines to issue refunds to travelers whose flights are canceled, airlines also began issuing waivers as the winter weather rolled in. The cold front comes after a winter storm disrupted flights last week.

American Airlines

American is waiving change fees for travelers scheduled to fly through Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport between Jan. 29 and Feb. 2, according to its website. Passengers must rebook by Feb. 2 and travel by Feb. 8.

Delta Air Lines

Delta will let passengers planning to travel on Tuesday or Wednesday rebook their flights to take place on or before Feb. 4 without paying a fare difference or change fee where applicable, according to its website. The waiver applies in the following cities:

  • Austin, Texas (AUS)

  • Charleston, West Virginia (CRW)

  • Cincinnati, Ohio (CVG)

  • Columbus, Ohio (CMH)

  • Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas (DFW)

  • Dallas, Texas (Love Field DAL)

  • Dayton, Ohio (DAY)

  • Fayetteville, Arkansas (XNA)

  • Lexington, Kentucky (LEX)

  • Little Rock, Arkansas (LIT)

  • Memphis, Tennessee (MEM)

  • Nashville, Tennessee (BNA)

  • Tulsa, Oklahoma (TUL)

Frontier Airlines

Frontier is waiving change fees for travelers scheduled to fly through Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, according to its website.

JetBlue

JetBlue is waiving change fees and fare differences for travelers scheduled to fly between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 in select cities, according to its website. Travelers must rebook by Feb. 4. The waiver applies to the following cities:

  • Austin, TX (AUS)

  • Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW)

  • Nashville, TN (BNA)

  • San Antonio, TX (SAT)

Southwest Airlines

Southwest is allowing travelers to rebook without paying a fare difference for flights taken within 14 days of their original travel date, according to its website. The waiver applies to travel between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 in the following cities:

  • Amarillo, Texas (AMA)

  • Austin, Texas (AUS)

  • Nashville, Tennessee (BNA)

  • Dallas (Love Field), Texas (DAL)

  • Lubbock, Texas (LBB)

  • Little Rock, Arkansas (LIT)

  • Midland, Texas (MAF)

  • Memphis, Tennessee (MEM)

  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (OKC)

  • San Antonio, Texas (SAT)

  • Louisville, Kentucky (SDF)

  • Tulsa, Oklahoma (TUL)

Spirit Airlines

Spirit is waiving change fees and fare differences for travelers scheduled to fly in select cities between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, according to its website. The fare difference is waived through Feb. 7. The waiver applies to the following cities:

  • Austin, TX (AUS)

  • Dallas, TX (DFW)

United Airlines

Travelers scheduled to fly with United in select cities between Jan. 30 and Feb. 2 can rebook without paying a change fee or fare difference on flights through Feb. 5, according to its website. They must rebook by that date as well. The waiver applies to the following cities:

  • Austin, TX (AUS)

  • Charleston, WV (CRW)

  • Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (DFW)

  • Bentonville, AR (XNA)

  • Hobbs, NM (HOB)

  • Lexington, KY (LEX)

  • Little Rock, AR (LIT)

  • Louisville, KY (SDF)

  • Lubbock, TX (LBB)

  • Memphis, TN (MEM)

  • Midland, TX (MAF)

  • Nashville, TN (BNA)

  • Oklahoma City, OK (OKC)

  • Paducah, KY (PAH)

  • San Antonio, TX (SAT)

  • Shreveport, LA (SHV)

  • Springfield, MO (SGF)

  • Tulsa, OK (TUL)

Contributing: Zach Wichter and Eve Chen, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flight cancellations Tuesday: Over 1,800 flights affected by weather