Southwest and other airlines cancel some flights out of Kansas City amid winter storm
Dozens of flights into and out of Kansas City International Airport were delayed or canceled Thursday as a major winter storm moved through the area.
Both Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines had canceled around 20 flights out of KCI by Thursday afternoon. Several others flights had been delayed. American Airlines had to departing flights canceled, according to the airport’s website.
Each airline also had canceled around 20 flights arriving into Kansas City.
Because the winter storm was affecting such a large part of the country, many airlines were waiving or discounting change and cancellation fees. Passengers were urged to check their airline’s website for the latest status on their flight.
Check here to find more contact information for each airlines at KCI. Passengers can also check the flight status of all the flights scheduled at KCI by visiting here. If you would like to get a better idea of how flights are doing worldwide, you can also use tools like flightaware.com to get real-time updates on the current flight traffic. There’s also a feature that allows you to see flight delays.
What to do if I want to change or cancel my flight?
In many cases if the airline cancels the flights, there will be an automatic rebooking process. If a flight is delayed, it is best to still be ready to go to the airport and be on standby in case conditions. However, if you want to take the step to rebook your flight for another time, given the weather advisories, many airlines will try to make that happen for you.
Airlines like Jet Blue, Southwest and American Airlines are just a few of the major carriers that will be helping passengers change or cancel their flights in preparation for the storm.
Southwest said it never charges for change or cancellation fees. Travelers flying out of KCI should be on the lookout for any changes to their flights. If you are flying with Southwest, make sure to confirm your flight status at Southwest.com before heading to the airport.
Other airlines like Jet Blue, American and Delta Airlines have special waivers in place to help travelers who might need to make some rearrangements.
Jet Blue passengers will can get waivers for any change or cancellation fees if they are traveling between Wednesday, Dec. 21 and Friday, Dec. 23, specifically for passengers that are traveling through KCI. If a flight gets canceled, passengers can also get a refund for the flight. Flights need to have been booked before Monday Dec. 19, in order to be eligible for waivers or refunds. If you would like to rebook a flight, make sure to visit JetBlue.com.
If you’re flying American Airlines this holiday season, you might be able to get your change of flight fee waived if you booked before Dec. 19, are scheduled to travel between Dec. 21 and Dec. 23 and have the flexibility to rebook between Dec. 19 and Dec. 30. If you do opt to change your flight, you cannot change your origin or destination city in order to receive the waiver. You also need to rebook by Friday, Dec 23.
If you booked a flight with Delta Airlines and are traveling through KCI, you are also eligible to have your rebooked travel costs waived. In order to get the freebie, the rescheduled travel needs to be on or before Dec. 28 and has to be the same kind of cabin as your original booking. If you decide to change the cabin type or the destination, you will have to pay the difference when rebooking.
United Airlines travelers can also get their fare waived if their flight is set to depart on or before Dec. 30. In order to get a waiver for a rebooking, the ticket needs to be for the same cabin and between the same cities as the original ticket. The full window for rebooking is between Dec. 18, 2022 and Dec. 30, 2022.
Live Updates: Flights canceled, power outages, icy roads after winter storm hits Kansas City