Winter storm grounds hundreds of flights, airlines waive change fees

Andrew Burton | Getty Images

Planes are de-iced at La Guardia Airport during a winter storm on February 2, 2015 in the Queens borough of New York City. The snowstorm, which is effecting an area stretching from New York to Chicago, is disrupting travelers both on the road and in the air.

A winter storm bringing a mix of snow, sleet and heavy rains from the Midwest to the East Coast grounded more than 1,000 flights scheduled for Tuesday.

LaGuardia Airport was the most affected with more than 400 flights scheduled to fly in and out of the New York airport called off, or about a third of the day’s schedule, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. More than 200 flights were canceled at each Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

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American Airlines said it would waive fees to change dates tickets to or from 32 airports across the northeastern U.S. and in southern Canada if customers can fly a different date through Feb. 16. Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and JetBlue Airways issued similar waivers. Southwest Airlines doesn’t charge fees for changing travel dates but said it would waive fare-difference charges for travelers affected by the storm.

Tuesday’s flight disruptions come after a snowstorm canceled hundreds of flights in Seattle over the weekend.