Airlines in the US are preparing for major disruptions over the coming days in response to warnings about a massive winter storm set to hit parts of the South, Midwest and Northeast.
On January 21, 2026, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines began warning customers of potential problems with their flights and offered alternative travel arrangements.
The Weather Channel said over 180 million Americans from Texas to New England will be targeted by “widespread snow and a potentially damaging ice storm”.
The storm has been named Winter Storm Fern and is expected to begin arriving on January 23, 2026, and continue to cause disruptions until January 26, 2026.
American Airlines said it was “closely monitoring Winter Storm Fern and its potential impact on travel in the coming days”.
❄️ Winter Storm Update ❄️
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) January 22, 2026
Here's the latest on the impending winter storm set to begin across the south-central U.S. on Friday. Confidence continues to increase for damaging ice accumulations across parts of the South. Preparations should be completed as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/hv4NeUhM1V
Passengers were directed to the carrier’s travel alerts webpage where it offered many customers the option to alter their trip with no change fee.
Passengers were advised they could change their flight if they were traveling to, through or from over 30 airports.
Similarly, Delta said it was “monitoring winter weather expected to impact travel over the next several days across Texas, the Southeast, including Delta’s Atlanta hub, and into the Northeast”.
Delta was offering customers traveling to, from, or through over 40 impacted cities the option to adjust any existing plans with no fees.
“The safety of our customers and our people remains our top priority and we will continue to monitor forecasts to determine necessary schedule adjustments,” said a spokesperson for Delta.
United Airlines and Alaska Airlines also updated their websites with information relating to Storm Fern, again offering customers across the US the chance to rearrange their flight with no adjustment fee.
The Weather Channel advised that the US has the “perfect setup expected this weekend, which is why models are leaning toward widespread winter weather”.
“There are two main factors that will contribute to the setup. The first is an arctic high that will set up shop over the Great Lakes near the end of the week, which will bring cold air to much of the South. We also have a storm system that began in the Southwest, heading east. Moisture lifting north ahead of the disturbance will cause the rainfall across the South that is expected this week,” said The Weather Channel.
It added: “With the arctic high pumping in cold air, temperatures will plummet, creating conditions that could be just right for winter weather.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the weather will become “nasty” on January 24, 2026, and “turn into a full-blown ice storm” in parts of the country on January 25, 2026.