More flights to the northeast are expected to be cancelled Saturday due to a winter storm.
As of Friday night, a total of 1,300 flights within, into, or out of the United States had been cancelled. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has cancelled 130 flights Saturday. United Airlines has cancelled 200 and American Airlines has cancelled about 130 flights, according to FlightAware.com.
Snow began falling in the northeast Friday, and as of the afternoon, Maine and New York had received around seven inches of snow. Blizzard conditions are expected through the night and into the morning Saturday, according to the National Centers for Environmental Prediction.
The winter storm has already contributed to a 19-car pileup Friday in Maine, according to The Weather Channel.
Friday morning, most flights to New York and Boston from Atlanta had been canceled, although a few were still scheduled. Nationwide, more than 3,100 flights were cancelled. Travelers were urged to check the status of their flights at their airline's website — Delta, AirTran and American — or at the Hartsfield-Jackson website before leaving for the airport.
Airlines issued so-called “weather waivers,” allowing passengers flying in the storm-affected areas to change their flight date without paying a change fee.
In recent years airlines have tried to get ahead of big storms by canceling flights in advance rather than crossing their fingers that they could operate in bad weather. Travelers can still face days-long delays in getting home, but the advanced cancellations generally mean they get more notice and can wait out the storm at home or a hotel, rather than on a cot at the airport.
In addition reservation systems have been programmed to automatically rebook passengers when flights are canceled. And travelers now receive notifications by email, phone or text message.
—The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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