Airlines are preparing for major disruptions this weekend—here’s how to benefit from it

If you have travel plans this weekend and don’t necessarily need to travel, you may be in luck.

A massive winter storm is forecasted this weekend—dubbed Winter Storm Fern by the Weather Channel—and could bring crippling ice and heavy snow to more than 30 states stretching from Arizona to Maine. With some 230 million Americans potentially affected, many airlines are preemptively warning travelers about potential weather-related disruptions and offering travel waivers in advance.

The major U.S. carriers have issued alerts to travelers with flights scheduled out of airports across more than 20 states, though the terms for changing your travel plans can vary significantly by airline. If you plan to change your travel plans, for example, you will generally need to rebook in the next few days and choose new travel dates within the next year.

But it’s also important to gauge your expectations: Don’t expect to score some cash from this storm. In September, the Department of Transportation updated its lengthy “fly rights” guidelines and cautioned that amenities to stranded passengers vary by airline, even if the cause is weather-related or something else beyond the carrier’s control. 

“Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers waiting at the airport; there are no federal requirements,” according to information from the Transportation Department. “Contrary to popular belief, for domestic itineraries, airlines are not required to compensate passengers whose flights are delayed or canceled.”

Here are how the “big four” airlines—American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines—are preparing for this weekend’s storm, along with some of the other popular U.S. carriers.

AMERICAN AIRLINES: CHANGE FEES WAIVED

American Airlines has issued a travel alert for more than 30 different airports and is likely to see some major disruptions, as its main hub is at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The National Weather Service is currently forecasting that the Dallas metro area could see cold rain beginning on Friday that will gradually transition into freezing rain and sleet, before eventually becoming snow by Sunday. 

If you are booked on an American flight with travel scheduled for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, you can change your trip, and the change fee will be waived. However, you must follow a few rules: The fee will be waived if you can travel some other time until next Wednesday, January 28; don’t change your origin or destination city; and rebook in the same cabin or pay the difference to upgrade. 

To take advantage of the waiver on change fees, you will need to rebook your trip by this Sunday, and your travel must be completed within one year of the original ticket date.

DELTA AIR LINES: FARE DIFFERENCES WAIVED

Delta Air Lines, with its main hub at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, could fare somewhat better, as the Atlanta area is on a winter storm watch and slightly below the threat of the worst of the winter storm.

That said, the airline has issued a travel advisory for more than 40 airports in 10 states. Affected travelers have until next Wednesday, January 28, to rebook travel—and rebooked travel must occur on or before that date to be eligible for the fare difference to be waived. However, a fare difference may apply, the airline cautions, if you upgrade your original booking class. 

If you’re not able to reschedule your travel to meet these rebooking guidelines, you may cancel your original reservation and apply the unused value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket for travel within one year of the original issue date.

UNITED AIRLINES: CHANGE FEES, FARE DIFFERENCES WAIVED

With its headquarters in Chicago, United Airlines is very accustomed to dealing with winter weather disruptions, and the city isn’t in the eye of this particular winter storm. Unlike American and Delta, United has issued two separate travel alerts—one for the Eastern U.S. and the other for the Southern U.S.—and they encompass two slightly different time periods. 

The travel alert for the Southern U.S. could affect airports in nine states, according to United, and applies to flights scheduled for Friday through Sunday. Meanwhile, the travel alert for the Eastern U.S. could affect airports in 14 states and the District of Columbia, and applies to flights scheduled for Saturday and extending through Monday. 

The options for United travelers who face potential disruptions are the same: Reschedule your travel plans, and the airline will waive change fees and fare difference. To qualify, the new flight must depart on or before next Wednesday, January 28, for flights on the East Coast, and on or before next Thursday, January 29, for flights in the South.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: LONGER WINDOW FOR REBOOKING

Southwest Airlines, the fourth-largest U.S. carrier, has always done things a little differently than its bigger competitors—and that extends to how it is handling potential disruptions from the winter storm. Its main hub is at the Dallas Love Field Airport, so like American, Southwest is likely to see some impact to its flights and has issued a travel advisory for airports in 15 states and D.C.

The airline was just deemed the best in The Wall Street Journal’s ranking of airlines for 2025, beating out rivals in every category measured. 

If you’re a Southwest passenger with a reservation to, from, or through one of the airports on its list, you can enjoy a longer rebooking period of 14 days within the original date of travel to take advantage of the waiver in fare difference. What’s more, if you decide to cancel your trip, you may be eligible for a refund for the unused ticket, along with any optional travel charges you have already paid for on affected flights. As is true of all of the airlines, be sure to read the specific rules before making changes.

HOW OTHER AIRLINES ARE PREPARING

Airlines have more leeway than many passengers may realize on how they handle travel disruptions—and that’s quite evident if you scroll through the Department of Transportation’s airline cancellation and delay dashboard. That dashboard details how 10 different U.S. carriers handle “controllable” disruptions—a cancellation or delay that was due to circumstances within the airline’s control.

As the agency cautions, airlines similarly can chart their own route for how to handle weather disruptions.

If you have a ticket issued by Alaska Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines, which are under the same ownership, you can change or cancel your trip without a fee. The same is true for passengers on flights with Frontier Airlines and JetBlue, though the latter offers a slightly longer rebooking period (through January 31). 

Finally, low-fare and regional airlines may provide even fewer accommodations to travelers affected by this weekend’s disruptions.

If you have a ticket with Spirit Airlines, the carrier will waive fare differences on rebooked tickets, though its travel advisory makes no mention of what happens if you cancel your trip. Allegiant Air has issued a travel alert for 15 cities it serves, but makes absolutely no mention of what accommodations it will offer to impacted travelers.

And Breeze Airways has similarly issued a travel advisory, though the airline indicates that affected travelers will be notified with options—and its typical accommodations vary widely, depending on the length of the delay or type of disruption.

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