Overview
- Nationwide cancellations topped 1,000 as the storm hit the upper Midwest, with Chicago O’Hare bearing the brunt, according to FlightAware.
- By Saturday evening, more than 1,200 O’Hare flights and over 200 at Midway were canceled, with hundreds more delayed as operations struggled to recover.
- The FAA instituted a morning ground stop at O’Hare followed by a ground-delay program, and reported average delays of more than five hours for inbound flights.
- The National Weather Service posted a winter storm warning and marine gale alerts, with Chicago totals near 7 inches at O’Hare and 6 inches at Midway and lighter snow expected into Sunday.
- American and United issued travel waivers for flexible rebooking, and Chicago deployed over 220 salt spreaders, with ripple effects likely to persist as airlines reset schedules on Sunday.