winter storm Archives - Stuck at the Airport

Trouble for travelers: blizzard + Global Entry closure. TSA PreCheck: open.

Major woes for travelers are piling up.

First, there’s the winter storm, named Hernando, making its way along the east coast, especially in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, accompanied by blizzard warnings for many areas.

Airlines have already proactively canceled thousands of flights and offered passengers the option to cancel or change their flight plans with no fees.

Mid-afternoon on Sunday, flight tracking site, Flightaware, was showing more than 3,000 flights within, into or out of the United States canceled, as well as more than 4,000 delays.

More than 4,500 flights are currently canceled for tomorrow.

Airports and airlines are on the alert.

We are closely monitoring a major winter storm expected Sunday night into Monday that is forecast to bring heavy snowfall across the region. Both New York and New Jersey have declared states of emergency, and travel conditions are expected to be hazardous, with impacts likely at… pic.twitter.com/v7YeGmRwWp
— Port Authority of NY & NJ (@PANYNJ) February 22, 2026

We’re closely monitoring Winter Storm Hernando that will impact travel on the East Coast starting Sunday. If you’re scheduled to fly through an impacted airport, we encourage you to take advantage of our flexible options https://t.co/zvwkMQ954S and move your flight before or…
— Delta (@Delta) February 21, 2026

If you do have plans to fly in the next few days, make sure to prioritize your safety (and your sanity) and rearrange plans if you can.

The map below was shared by the National Weather Service early Sunday morning.

DHS shuts down Global Entry, but changes course & decides to keep TSA PreCheck open

At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public. As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly.

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— TSA (@TSA) February 22, 2026

As if the travel woes from the winter storm aren’t enough, at 6 am on Sunday morning the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shut down Global Entry, the Custom and Border Protection program that offers expedited entry into the United States at airports and at border crossings.

The reason? The DHS says it is due to the partial government shutdown.

TSA PreCheck was initially included in that announcement, but the agency has decided to keep PreCheck open.

For now.

Both PreCheck and Global Entry are paid programs designed to move vetted travelers through security lanes faster.

Despite an earlier announcement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that — at this time — TSA PreCheck remains operational. If staffing constraints arise, TSA will adjust operations accordingly. Guests are encouraged to arrive early and anticipate longer than… pic.twitter.com/5NFlRnuNa8
— LAX Airport (@flyLAXairport) February 22, 2026

Storm watch: airlines waiving change fees

Thanksgiving travel plans are going haywire as a terrible winter storm makes it way east.

Several airlines are offering to waive change fees for passengers with flights scheduled to or from cities in the path of the storm over the next few days.

As of Tuesday evening, these airlines had travel advisories posted on their sites:

Alaska Airlines

“Due to forecasted snow and ice storms on the east coast, Alaska Airlines is offering a travel waiver for customers traveling on Wednesday, November 27, 2013, to/from Boston, Newark, Philadelphia, or Washington, D.C. airports.”

Details here.

American Airlines

A Travel Advisory for the northeast is in effect for November 27 for flights to, from and through: Baltimore, Boston, Hartford, New York/New Jersey (JFK, LGA, EWR), Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. (DCA/IAD) and Westchester/White Plains.

Delta Air Lines

Delta is reminding travelers that “if your flight is canceled or significantly delayed, you are entitled to a refund.”

The airline is also allowing passengers to make a make a one-time, no-fee change to their tickets if travel includes flights to, from, or through a dozen cities on Delta, Delta Connection®, or Delta-coded flights on November 27. See the list of cities included in the advisory here.

JetBlue

JetBlue now has a travel advisory posted for the the Northeast for customers planning to travel on November 27.

Details here.

Spirit Airlines has posted a ‘weather buster policy’ for flights between Fort Lauderdale, FL and Niagara Falls, NY.

United

United Airlines has a chart full of cities affected by weather – and change fee waivers as well. See the list here.

US Airways

For flights scheduled to, from or through a long list of east coast cities on November 26 and 27, US Airways has relaxed it change fee policies. See the list of cities included here.

I’ll update this list as/if other airlines post travel advisories, but be sure to check with your airline before heading to the airport for your flight. And even if your flight isn’t showing canceled, be prepared for that possibility: pack snacks, things to keep yourself occupied, a change of clothing, your patience and good humor…. just in case.

And Virgin America now has an east coast travel advisory posted as well for November 26 and 27. Details here.