Airlines are waiving costly change fees amid Winter Storm Bruce, which threatens to cause additional headaches for Thanksgiving air travelers returning home this weekend.
The storm is expected to bring heavy snowfall, gusty winds and blizzard conditions to many places in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions through the remainder of the Thanksgiving travel period, which was already projected to be the busiest ever.
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines are among those notable carriers who have issued winter storm waivers allowing customers to make flight changes at no additional cost.
The details vary by airline. However, most cover major cities throughout the Midwest such as Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City and Milwaukee, among others, for travel through Monday. Passengers will have either several days or up to a couple of weeks in some cases to complete rebooked travel with no fee.
Cancellations were piling up at both of Chicago's airports as well as Kansas City International Airport Sunday morning. According to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com, O'Hare International Airport was closing in on 200 cancellations while Kansas City had experienced more than 80 canceled flights as of 10 a.m. ET.
As always, travelers are encouraged to check their flight status with their airline before arriving at the airport.
Earlier this month, AAA projected the largest growth in Thanksgiving travel to be by air, with 4.27 million Americans expected to take to the skies between Wednesday, November 21 and Sunday, November 25.
Meanwhile, drivers should exercise caution and leave themselves plenty of extra time as road conditions are expected to become dangerous across a large swath of the Midwest through Sunday into Monday.
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