Flight cancellations sharply decrease at CLT Saturday after Friday’s winter blast
The number of flights that were canceled or delayed Saturday at Charlotte Douglas International Airport has declined steeply, far lower than the more than 400 that were impacted by Friday’s winter storm.
As of 8 a.m. Saturday, there were 11 cancellations and 22 delays, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
More than 200 flights have been canceled at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Friday, as a blistering winter storm bears down on the eastern U.S.
There also were more than 225 flight cancellations at CLT Friday, according to FlightAware. More than 400 flights have been delayed.
Charlotte Douglas tweeted Friday morning that officials were “closely monitoring” weather conditions. Travelers were advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
Departures to Charlotte Douglas were grounded between around 7 and 9 a.m. Friday “due to wind,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s website.
A number of other major airports were experiencing weather-related delays on Friday morning. Departures to Denver and Seattle’s major airports were grounded, while airports in Dallas and Minneapolis de-iced their runways.
Winter weather affecting travel
Millions of travelers across the country may see their flights delayed or canceled as a winter storm moves from the Midwest to the east coast on Friday, threatening to freeze runways and unravel holiday travel plans.
The cold wave is already “invading” the Charlotte region, according to the National Weather Service. The NWS has issued both a wind advisory and a wind chill alert went into effect Friday 5 p.m.
West winds 20 to 30 mph were forecast for the Charlotte area “with gusts up to 40 to 50 mph,” according to the NWS.
The winter weather is expected to cause chaos at U.S. airports, which will be packed with travelers. Nearly 7.2 million Americans are expected to fly between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, according to AAA.
This story was originally published December 23, 2022 at 7:36 AM with the headline "Flight cancellations sharply decrease at CLT Saturday after Friday’s winter blast."
