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Delta Air Lines has proactively canceled hundreds of flights across the Midwest ahead of a significant winter storm. The airline’s 
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) hub is the worst-affected, while the impact has affected over 20 other airports in the region, including Milwaukee, Omaha and Des Moines.
With severe winds and snow forecast over the weekend, Delta has chosen to scrap these flights in an effort to ease its operational burden and minimize disruption to passengers. Other carriers, including Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines, have also canceled flights ahead of the storm.
Delta Cancels Hundreds Of Midwest Flights
The Atlanta-based carrier has issued a statement on its website advising passengers across the Midwest to regularly check their flight status as the inclement weather hits over the weekend. With forecasted snowfall of up to 18 inches and heavy winds, the peak is expected to hit Sunday morning, but the airline has scrapped scores of flights over the entire weekend. Minnesota and Wisconsin are expected to suffer the worst of the weather, but Delta’s cancellations encompass airports across seven states.
Data from FlightAware shows that Delta has canceled over 80 departures on Saturday, rising to over 220 flights on Sunday. The majority of impacted flights are at MSP, where 200 departures have been scrapped on Sunday, along with a similar number of arrivals. Delta Connection partner SkyWest Airlines has also canceled many flights, with over 120 services canceled on Sunday. The carrier has issued a waiver to affected customers traveling between March 14 and March 15, with rebooked fares to be issued on or before March 22. In a statement, Delta said,
“Due to significant forecasted snow and winds in the Midwest, Delta has implemented cancellations for airports in the Midwest, including Delta’s Minneapolis-St. Paul hub, for Saturday through Sunday.”
Which Airports Are Affected?
As mentioned, MSP has borne the brunt of most cancellations, but several other airports in the region have been impacted. On its website, Delta lists a total of 26 airports across seven states, including nine airports in Michigan, six in Wisconsin, and four in Minnesota. These airports are shown below:
Aberdeen (ABR) | Alpena (APN) | Appleton (ATW) |
Brainerd (BRD) | Cedar Rapids (CID) | Des Moines (DSM) |
Duluth (DLH) | Escanaba (ESC) | Green Bay (GRB) |
Marquette (MQT) | Milwaukee (MKE) | Minneapolis–Saint Paul (MSP) |
Moline (MLI) | Omaha (OMA) | Pellston (PLN) |
Rhinelander (RHI) | Rochester, MN (RST) | Saginaw / Bay City / Midland (MBS) |
Sault Ste. Marie (CIU) | Sioux Falls (FSD) | Traverse City (TVC) |
Watertown (ATY) | Wausau (CWA) |
The impact of the cancellations was being felt as early as Friday, with CBS News reporting lengthy queues and large crowds of passengers hanging around at MSP waiting for updates. There were over 120 delayed flights at MSP on Friday, with delays expected to persist through the weekend as Delta grapples with the poor weather.
Delta’s travel waiver will allow passengers to re-book services without being charged a change fee for travel dates of up to one year from the original booking. The fare difference will also be waived for rebooked flights on or before March 22 (in the same cabin), but will not be waived for travel dates after March 22. The carrier will also allow bookings to be canceled, with the value of the fare able to go towards the purchase of a new ticket, up to one year from the original booking.
East Coast Shutdown: Airlines Cancel Thousands Of Flights Ahead Of Winter Storm Hernando
Airlines are expected to cancel over 5,000 flights across today and tomorrow, severely impacting airline operations on the East Coast.
Winter Storm Woes
There have been several significant storms over the IATA 2025-26 Winter Season, impacting tens of thousands of flights and causing huge operational disruptions. In late February, one of the worst winter storms in years — named Winter Storm Hernando — hit the US East Coast, blanketing some regions with over 30 inches of snow, leading to over 10,000 flight cancellations over a four-day period.
Although airlines and airports have robust procedures in place to deal with cold snaps, sometimes the weather is just too extreme to allow operations to continue. The outlook beyond the weekend looks better for Delta as the storm passes, but the disruption is likely to continue into next week in the form of mass delays.
