Winter Storm Benji is creating headaches for some travelers in the South Friday, including passengers scheduled to fly in or out of Atlanta.
According to Weather.com, the storm has brought several inches of snow as far south as coastal Texas and will likely complicate travel along the bustling I-95 corridor as it moves into the Northeast over the weekend.
Fortunately, major airlines were proactive Thursday, waiving change fees for Friday flights to and from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after the National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory.
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue and United Airlines will allow affected customers to rebook their flights by Monday at no extra cost.
Southwest Airlines said travelers can rebook their flights within 14 days of their original travel date to avoid additional charges, and Frontier Airlines is giving passengers until December 16 to complete their rescheduled travel through the world's busiest airport.
As of 10 a.m. ET Friday, more than 160 flights had been canceled at Hartsfield-Jackson, according to data from flight-tracking website FlightAware.com. The figure accounts for 7 percent of the airport's scheduled departures and 5 percent of arrivals.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport-another airport relatively unfamiliar with snow and wintry conditions-has experienced 26 cancellations thus far.
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Snowfall and ice also made for treacherous road conditions near Houston early Friday.
Winter weather advisories have already been issued for parts of the Northeast as Benji is forecast to bring disruptive travel conditions to a handful of major cities, including Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
Travelers scheduled to fly into or out of areas under winter weather advisories are encouraged to check their flight status and reach out to their airline ahead of time. Meanwhile, those taking to the road should stay up to date on the latest weather conditions and exercise caution where necessary.
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