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Flight cancellations aren't over after massive winter storm: Live updates

Flight cancellations aren't over after massive winter storm: Live updates

Travelers aren't out the woods after a massive winter storm dumped snow and ice across the eastern United States over the weekend.

More than 4,200 U.S. flights are canceled for Monday, Jan. 26, and more than 2,400 others are delayed as of 11 a.m. ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Airlines are still trying to get back on track after canceling over 15,700 U.S. flights over the weekend, per FlightAware. Aviation analytics company Cirium noted Sunday saw the most cancellations since the pandemic, with 45% of Sunday's flights canceled, compared to 1% on a typical day.

Still, more snow is on the way. The National Weather Service's short-range forecast calls for heavy snow in the Northeast, rain and freezing rain over portions of the Mid-Atlantic, and snow in the Appalachian Mountains and central and southern High Plains on Monday.

The disruptions have meant long delays, overnight stays, and hours stuck on planes for some travelers.

Annie Yuen’s flight was already delayed on Friday – and then a major winter storm began rolling in.

The 23 year old, who was traveling from Dallas to Guatemala for vacation, said her plane had to wait for a missing passenger. “And then by the time we got out of the gate, we were getting ready to taxi, that's when the frost started hitting,” she told USA TODAY. “So we had to spend some time de-icing the plane.”

When that was done, passengers were notified that the pilots had timed out. Her original 8:12 p.m. departure time was pushed to 6:40 a.m. American Airlines provided a hotel, but the next morning the snow and additional de-icing kept flyers sitting on the plane for about three–and-a-half hours before they finally took off – “longer than the flight,” Yeun noted.

“After we got out and we got above the clouds, we saw the sun, and it was amazing,” she said. “It felt very reassuring.” Yuen, who works in tech sales, said she was “grateful” to make it to her destination, where the temperature was around 80 degrees.

Between 'silver linings' and 'snowbird' reroutes, travelers are forced to adjust plans