Severe weather in Texas has forced officials at one of the nation’s largest airports to ground flights, affecting airline traffic between Sacramento and the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Areas of North Texas continued Tuesday to deal with severe storms, including thunderstorms and the chance for flash flooding, a day after a tornado wreaked havoc in Denton and Cooke counties, just north of the cities. At least seven people were killed, and at least 100 people were injured, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. Rain totals from the storm had already tallied 3 inches in some locations while more than a half-million around the Metroplex were without power by noon Central time, according to officials.
Officials at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the second-busiest in the world by passenger volume, decided early Monday to hold flights amid the bad weather, sparking a cascade of cancellations and delays around the nation, including at Sacramento International Airport.
“With a strong storm in the area this morning passengers should check their flight status with their airline as delays are likely,” the airport said in a social media post. “Please use caution if traveling to/from the airport this morning with strong winds and rain impacting travel.”
According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, more than 290 flights into or out of DFW had been canceled by 10 a.m. Pacific time with close to 600 flights delayed. The disruptions were about equally split between departures and arrivals, according to FlightAware.
Most of the disruptions were between two of DFW’s biggest airlines: American and Southwest. According to FlightAware, the two airlines suffered the most cancellations and delays — as of 10 a.m. Pacific, American had tallied nearly 170 cancellations across the U.S. while Southwest had more than 120 flights put on hold. The cancellations accounted for roughly 3% of the airlines’ total flights for the day, according to FlightAware, and each airline had tallied more than 600 cancellations across their networks.
That included flights out of Sacramento, where five flights out of SMF — three from Southwest and two from American — had been canceled and another 27 flights were delayed Monday, according to FlightAware. Twenty of the delayed flights were aboard Southwest, which has a large hub at DFW for connecting flights. The airport, which is situated between Dallas and Fort Worth, is the home of American’s operations and is its largest hub.
Across all of California’s airports with commercial service, 48 flights had been canceled, according to FlightAware, while more than 300 flights had been held back. The largest amount of delays in the state were at San Francisco International and Los Angeles International, FlightAware reported.
Officials from both airlines did not immediately respond to questions about the disruptions. Airport officials at DFW were optimistic that the afternoon slate of flights would go on as scheduled.
Travelers or family members with questions about disruptions were encouraged to visit the airlines’ websites or call customer service — American can be reached at 800-433-7300 and Southwest can be reached at 800-435-9792.
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
