Winter storm causes nearly 4K canceled flights

Nearly 4,000 flights were canceled Thursday morning as another winter storm sweeps the nation, bringing snow and freezing rain. 

As of 8:30 a.m. ET, 3,931 flights entering, leaving and traveling throughout the United States have been canceled, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.  

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Southwest Airlines is leading U.S. carriers in cancellations with about 938 flights – or 27% of its flight schedule – canceled as of 8:30 a.m. ET, according to the flight-tracking website. 

After Southwest is American Airlines and its regional carrier, Envoy Air. American has already canceled 575 flights, which is about 19% of its flight schedule, as of 8:30 a.m. ET. Meanwhile, its regional carrier scrapped 461 flights, which is 50% of its flight schedule, according to FlightAware. 

However, United Airlines proactively canceled 450 flights for Thursday, a spokesperson told FOX Business. 

"We’re doing our best to pre-cancel as much as possible and alert customers right away, so they can plan accordingly," a United Airlines spokesperson said.  

A Delta Air Lines spokesperson told FOX Business that "select Delta flights in impacted areas are being proactively canceled ahead of time." 

According to FlightAware, Delta Air Lines has just over 110 canceled flights. 

Delta said customer weather waivers are in effect, "covering nearly 70 cities across the Midwest; South Central Plains and Texas; Rocky Mountain region."

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
LUV	SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.	27.34	+0.06	+0.22%
AAL	AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.	14.40	-0.08	-0.55%
UAL	UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC.	52.72	+0.09	+0.17%
DAL	DELTA AIR LINES INC.	52.60	-0.15	-0.28%

WINTER STORM THREAT LEADS US AIRLINES TO CANCEL THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS

Southwest told FOX Business on Wednesday that it had already "limited, or reduced, schedules in some cities along the storm’s path" and encouraged travelers to check their flight status and the latest travel advisories, including flexible travel accommodations, ahead of their trip.  

Meanwhile, American already expected the storm to "have a significant impact" on its operation, "especially in the Northeast and Central regions of the United States."

American also issued a travel notice to help affected customers rebook their flights for free.

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Areas in North and Central Texas were still getting hit with facing freezing rain, sleet and snow Thursday morning, Fox Weather reported. At the same time, parts of the Midwest and interior Northeast are dealing with snow and ice. 

Before the storm arrived, parts of the country from New Mexico to Maine were placed under winter storm warnings and watches. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.