Flight cancellation numbers are dropping as travel starts to recover after a huge winter storm battered the US
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- Airlines and airports are beginning to recover from the weekend's storm.
- There were about 1,100 cancellations early Tuesday, fewer than at the same time on previous days.
- Flight schedules should be back on track on Wednesday, said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Air travel is showing more signs of recovery after Winter Storm Fern pummelled the country over the weekend.
There were around 1,300 canceled flights within, into, or out of the US as of 6:20 a.m. ET on Tuesday, according to data from FlightAware.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport led the charge with 276, followed by Charlotte Douglas with 138.
While more flights are likely to be canceled throughout the day, there were about 4,000 such cancellations early on Monday. The day ended with 6,250 canceled flights, per FlightAware.
That compares to Sunday's 11,618 canceled flights.
Sunday marked the worst day for air travel since the early days of the pandemic in March 2020, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Monday.
He added that the government expects flight schedules to return to normal on Wednesday.
"This storm is unique," he said. "You get the ice, and you get the snow, and on top of that, we have now a cold weather snap that comes after it."
Airport and airline workers have also struggled to get to work due to the state of the roadways.
On Monday evening, Heather Garboden, American Airlines' chief customer officer, wrote to customers saying the storm "continues to present travel challenges across the country."
American has been the most-affected airline each day, including over 1,900 cancellations on Sunday, per FlightAware.
Garboden added that five of the airline's nine hubs were "significantly impacted," including its largest at DFW, which saw "record-setting" weather conditions.
And as the storm affected cities that don't generally experience such cold, many areas lacked the infrastructure to handle the heavy snow and ice.
This, in turn, has "led to staffing issues as team members, plus vendor and federal partners, struggle to make their way on the roads," she said.
Airlines have waived change fees so that passengers have more flexibility to avoid disruption due to the storm.
However, while American's waiver covers travel through Thursday, United Airlines' is through Wednesday, and Delta Air Lines' only continues through Tuesday.