Storm Causes 14,000 Flight Cancellations

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6,995 flights canceled Monday. 7,720 yesterday. According to FlightAware.com, this week’s winter storm was responsible for over 14,000 cancellations in just two days, and FlightAware is showing another 2,300-plus cancellations today. All told, there have been 19,000 cancellations this week, most of which are attributable to one storm.

With so many people displaced, it will take days to clear the backlog. USA Today‘s Charisse Jones reports, “Fitting passengers onto the next available flight is not easy. Those already holding tickets retain priority, leaving stranded fliers to scramble for empty spots. At a time when the industry has pared flights, jets have few spare seats.”

The problem is especially acute in Chicago, where almost 2,000 flights have been canceled this week. And with Chicago being a major connection point for American and United, finding empty seats on airplanes will be difficult.

To make matters worse, more bad weather is expected, just as cities begin digging out from the latest blast. FlightAware already shows 800 flights canceled tomorrow due to wintry weather, mostly at Houston. The same disturbance will track toward the Northeast for the weekend.

Readers, have you been affected by this winter’s crazy weather? Are you still scheduled to fly before springtime’s merciful arrival?