Thousands of air travelers scrambled to make alternate arrangements or simply hunkered down and waited at South Florida’s three international airports Monday as a blizzard that dropped up to 2 feet of snow all but paralyzed most of the Northeast.
By midday, the tracking service Flightaware recorded the following figures for cancellations, which far outnumbered delays of departing flights from South Florida:
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport: 198 canceled, 63 delayed.
Palm Beach International: 125 canceled, 13 delayed
Miami International: 191 canceled; 61 delayed.
By Monday morning, New York’s LaGuardia Airport saw 98% of its flight schedule wiped out, according to CNBC. The figure for Boston Logan International Airport was about 90%, and 80% for Newark Liberty International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport.
Airlines had prepared for the storm’s onslaught by canceling flights as early as Saturday.
By Monday, domestic cancellations had exceeded 5,300 flights after carriers dropped 3,400 flights on Sunday.
Fee waivers
Long lines and delays started early Monday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a blizzard began pummeling the Northeast. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Most carriers said they would waive change/cancellation fees and fare differences for their customers.
JetBlue Airways, one of the busiest carriers at Fort Lauderdale, had the most cancellations at the airport and said on its website that waivers would apply to customers traveling between Sunday through Thursday to and from 15 cities including Boston, Hartford, Islip, N.Y., Newark, the JFK International and LaGuardia airports in New York, Norfolk, Va., Providence, and Washington, D.C.
“Customers may rebook their flights for travel through Wednesday, March 4, 2026, online in the manage trips section of jetblue.com prior to the departure time of their originally scheduled flight,” the airline said on its website. “Customers with cancelled flights may also opt for a refund to the original form of payment. Original travel must have been booked before Friday, February 20, 2026.”
Spirit Airlines, which is based in Dania Beach and placed second in cancellations at Fort Lauderdale, had similar modifications in place for travelers booked on flights between this past Sunday and this coming Wednesday, according to its website.
For the blizzard, the affected cities include Atlantic City, Baltimore, Boston, Newark, New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Norfolk, Philadelphia and Richmond.
Trip modification charges and fare differences are waived through March 4. “After this date, the modification charge is waived, but a fare difference may apply,” the Spirit site says.
Dozens of flights are canceled or delayed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport due to a winter storm on Monday. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, which was third in cancellations at Fort Lauderdale, posted blizzard-related advisories for more than two dozen cities, and a separate one for civil unrest in Mexico, which was the scene of weekend violence involving a major drug cartel.
Delta issued a waiver for customers traveling to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara on Sunday and Monday. The airline said people planning to fly to the affected region should monitor their flights for changes by using the airline’s app or by visiting delta.com.
Other carriers including Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have either diverted or canceled trips into the region.
South Florida temperatures to plunge. How long will the chill last?
The blizzard, meanwhile, was expected to deliver its pain through at least Monday night, with up to 6,000 flights canceled, according to AccuWeather.
“Snow totaling 18-24 inches is forecast to bury parts of New Jersey, Long Island and coastal New England through Monday night,”: the service advised. “Heavy snow combined with wind gusts above 50 mph will lead to near-zero visibility and coastal erosion issues from Delmarva to Cape Cod.”