American cancels hundreds at DFW

American Airlines canceled hundreds of flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport after severe thunderstorms hit North Texas on Tuesday, snarling operations at the carrier’s largest hub just as Memorial Day travel was beginning. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a ground stop at DFW because of thunderstorms, and local outlet KERA reported that more than 350 flights had been canceled there by 2 p.m. on May 19, citing FlightAware data. American later posted a travel alert for Dallas-Fort Worth dated May 20, waiving change fees for some affected customers. The disruption landed days before the airline’s summer peak, which American has said starts on May 21. ### Why did DFW become the center of the disruption? The FAA said in its Daily Air Traffic Report for Wednesday, May 20, that thunderstorms could delay flights across parts of the United States, including Texas airports DFW and Houston Intercontinental. The agency’s National Airspace System status page also showed DFW and Dallas Love Field as possible candidates for ground-stop or delay programs later in the day because of weather. KERA reported that the FAA had ordered a ground stop at DFW until at least 3 p.m. on Tuesday because of thunderstorms. The station said travelers at DFW were seeing average delays of an hour, while the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth warned of storms with the possibility of large hail and damaging winds. ### How big were the cancellations at American’s main hub? KERA reported that DFW had more than 350 cancellations by 2 p.m. Tuesday and that Dallas Love Field had another 55 cancellations and nearly 90 delays. Because DFW is American’s biggest hub, a weather stoppage there can quickly affect aircraft and crews moving through the rest of its network. American did not publish a cancellation total on its travel-alert page, but it acknowledged the disruption by issuing a severe-weather waiver for Dallas-Fort Worth. The waiver, listed as current as of May 20, applies to customers booked on American flights, including basic economy, who bought tickets by May 19 and were scheduled to travel on May 21. ### What is American telling passengers to do now? American said customers covered by the Dallas-Fort Worth alert can rebook travel for May 20 through May 23 without a change fee, as long as they do not change their origin or destination city and rebook by May 21. The airline said affected travelers should check flight status and app notifications for updates. The carrier said on its travel-alert page that travel must be completed within one year of the original ticket date, and any fare difference may still apply. Customers who cannot change their trip online are being directed to contact reservations. ### Why does this matter beyond North Texas? American said on May 10 that it expects to carry 75 million customers across 750,000 flights during its summer travel period from May 21 through Sept. 8. The airline said Memorial Day weekend alone is expected to bring more than 4.2 million customers across more than 40,000 flights from May 21 through May 26, with Friday, May 22, projected as the busiest day. In that same statement, Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said DFW has an “outsized impact” on the broader airline. American had said a reworked 13-bank schedule at DFW was intended to reduce delays, misconnects and gate changes, underscoring how closely the hub’s operation is tied to the rest of the network. ### What should travelers watch next? May 21 is the deadline American listed for customers to rebook under its Dallas-Fort Worth severe-weather waiver. The FAA said passengers should check with their airline for flight-specific delay information, while American said its Memorial Day operating surge runs through May 26.