Weather 
Several US states have declared emergencies as Winter Storm Fern barrels on, with forecasts predicting that more than 200 million people nationwide will be affected by snow and ice.
Airlines are encouraging travelers who plan to fly this weekend to change their plans in anticipation of what’s expected to be the biggest winter storm of the season so far.
Major airlines — including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines — are waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the historic storm.
Other carriers will likely follow suit, and travelers should closely monitor their flight status before heading to the airport.
Here’s what flyers should know when changing their plans with the four major airlines.
American Airlines
American is waiving change fees for flights to and from 34 airports — and it’s possible more could be added depending on the weather.
The change fee will be waived for American Airlines flights set to travel between Friday, January 23, and Sunday, January 25. However, the ticket for the flight must have been purchased by January 19.
The airline noted that the change fee will be waived if you can travel between January 21 and 28. Flights must be rebooked by January 25, and the origin or destination city cannot be changed. Flyers need to rebook in the same cabin or pay the difference.
Those who reschedule travel for after January 28 will have one year after the original ticket date to fly, but a difference in fare may apply.
If a trip is eligible to be rebooked, passengers will be able to make a one-time change online. After finding your trip, there will be an option to “change trip” in the toolbar.
A full list of the airlines affected can be found on the American Airlines website.
Delta Air Lines
Delta’s travel advisory includes many of the same airports, with a full list posted on their website as well.
The impacted travel dates are January 23-25, and customers have until Wednesday, January 28 to rebook their flight.
However, if rescheduled travel occurs after January 28, the change fee will be waived but a difference in fare may apply. Final travel must be completed within one year of the original ticket date.
To adjust travel, visit Delta.com or the app. The airline advises travelers to check their flight status frequently for “up-to-the-minute information” or get updates sent directly to their phone or email with One-Time Notification.
Delta said they will give customers as much notice as possible about flight changes.
“As always, if a flight is canceled or a delay causes a misconnect, Delta will work to rebook customers on the next available flight,” Delta said in a news release.
“The safety of Delta customers and our people remains first and foremost as we closely monitor forecasts to determine necessary schedule adjustments.”
United Airlines
United is allowing passengers to change their flight without change fees and fare differences.
Travelers flying out of eastern US airports must have had travel scheduled between January 24 and January 26, and travelers flying out of southern airports must have had travel scheduled between January 23 and January 25.
A list of affected airports and travel dates is available on their website.
All travelers’ original tickets must have been purchased on or before January 20, and the new flight must be a United flight departing between January 21 and January 28. Tickets must be in the same cabin and between the same cities as originally booked.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest’s travel advisory has been issued for a list of airports with travel scheduled between January 23 and January 26.
Travelers can rebook without a change in airfare, or they can travel standby within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city pairs.
If a flight is canceled or significantly delayed by Southwest and the passenger chooses to cancel their flight rather than rebook, they may be eligible for a refund for the unused ticket — even if the ticket was non-refundable — as well as any optional travel charges paid for.
However, Southwest customers may need to lookout for some extra adjustments when rebooking due to the airline’s recent changes.
For example, with their open-seat policy ending, some flyers may be changing from a flight with open seating to one with assigned seating. Southwest’s website shares what to expect when this happens.
Additionally, reservations in Basic, Choice, and Choice Preferred booked and ticketed and/or voluntary changed on or after May 28, 2025, will have to pay checked baggage fees.
