SALT LAKE CITY — While Salt Lake City will mostly avoid the arctic blast that is causing havoc around the country this week, the storm is still being felt by travelers here in Utah.
Flight delays and cancellations are starting to pile up at Salt Lake City International Airport on Thursday as people attempt to fly in or out during the busy holiday travel season.
As of 9 p.m., the airport has reported a total of 46 flight cancellations and 222 delays.
While those local numbers may seem like a lot, they are merely a drop in the bucket compared to what airports in areas affected by the massive storm are seeing. There have already been nearly 2,476 canceled flights in the U.S. on Thursday morning and over 9,766 delays.
The storm is arriving just as the busy holiday travel season reaches its peak, with a booming return at airports following the pandemic. Delta said it expects approximately 9 million customers during this December holiday period, just shy of the total customers flown in 2019.
Because of the travel difficulty caused by the storm, airlines are offering waivers to travelers.
United will waive its change fee and any difference in fare on qualifying tickets for flights departing on or before Dec. 28 at many U.S. airports.
American said it would waive its change fees on qualifying tickets for those who plan to fly over the holidays at 29 listed airports in the northeast that could be affected by the winter storm.
Southwest issued a travel advisory for airports in the midwest, saying that those with qualifying tickets traveling through Monday could rebook their flights "without paying any additional charge."
