Winter storm grounds 1,500 Southwest, American flights

Bloomberg

Southwest Airlines Co. and American Airlines Group Inc. have cancelled more than 1,500 flights early this week as a winter storm brings freezing temperatures, sleet and possible ice accumulation to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Southwest, which accounts for nearly all the flights at Dallas Love Field, grounded 483 on January 31 and pre-cancelled 309 on Tuesday, according to data tracker FlightAware.com. American, the largest airline at nearby Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, cancelled 764 flights because of the storm, including some flights by its regional partners, the carrier said.
Parts of north and central Texas are under a winter storm warning until noon Wednesday, with icing on bridges and roads causing dangerous travel conditions, the National Weather Service said. Flights also were cancelled by weather in Denver, where Southwest has a large operation.
The Dallas-based airline doesn’t expect a repeat of an operational meltdown in late December, a spokesman said. That began when a widespread winter storm triggered so many cancellations that it overwhelmed Southwest’s crew scheduling system.
Both Southwest and American have issued waivers allowing customers to rebook flights without triggering fees.