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Thousands of flights canceled as major winter storm moves across the US

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Thousands of flights across the U.S. set to take off over the weekend were canceled as a monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across much of the country and threatened to knock out power for days and snarl major roadways with dangerous ice.Roughly 140 million people, or more than 40% of the U.S. population, were under a winter storm warning from New Mexico to New England. The National Weather Service forecast warned of widespread heavy snow and a band of catastrophic ice stretching from east Texas to North Carolina. By midday Saturday, a quarter of an inch of ice was reported in parts of southeastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas and portions of Louisiana.”What really makes this storm unique is, just following this storm, it’s just going to get so cold,” said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “The snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder any recovery efforts.”Governors in more than a dozen states sounded the alarm about the turbulent weather ahead, declaring emergencies or urging people to stay home. As crews in some southern states began working to restore downed power lines, officials in some eastern states issued final warnings to residents. “We are expecting a storm the likes of which we haven’t seen in years,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Saturday while announcing restrictions on commercial vehicle travel and a 35 mph speed limit on highways. She added: “It’s a good weekend to stay indoors.”Little Rock, Arkansas, was covered with sleet and snow Saturday, giving Chris Plank doubts about whether he would be able to make a five-hour drive to Dallas for work on Sunday. While some snow is a yearly event, Plank was concerned most about the ice.”All of the power lines are above ground, so it doesn’t take very much to end up in the dark,” Plank said.Forecasters say the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane. Around 120,000 power outages were reported in the path of the winter storm Saturday afternoon, including about 53,000 in Texas and 45,000 in Louisiana, according to poweroutage.us.In Shelby County, Texas, near the Louisiana border, ice weighed down on pine trees and caused branches to snap, downing power lines. About a third of the county’s 16,000 residents were without power on Saturday.”We have hundreds of trees down and a lot of limbs in the road,” Shelby County Commissioner Stevie Smith said from his pickup truck. “I’ve got my crew out clearing roads as fast as we can. It’s a lot to deal with right now.”All Saturday flights were canceled at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City, and all Sunday morning flights also were called off, as officials aimed to restart service Sunday afternoon at Oklahoma’s biggest airport. More than 12,000 flights were canceled Saturday and Sunday across the U.S., according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, a major hub, saw more than 700 departing flights canceled on Saturday and nearly as many arriving flights called off. Disruptions were also piling up at airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte, North Carolina.After sweeping through the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast, dumping about 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington through New York and Boston, the weather service predicted. “Please, if you can avoid it, do not drive, do not travel, do not do anything that can potentially place you or your loved ones in danger,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Saturday. “Instead, I urge every New Yorker who can to put a warm sweater on, turn on the TV, watch ‘Mission Impossible’ for the 10th time, above all to stay inside.” Officials in Georgia advised people in the state’s northern regions to get off the roads by sundown Saturday and be prepared to stay put for at least 48 hours.Will Lanxton, the senior state meteorologist, said Georgia could get “perhaps the biggest ice storm we have expected in more than a decade,” followed by unusually cold temperatures. “Ice is a whole different ballgame than snow,” Lanxton said. “Ice, you can’t do anything with. You can’t drive on it. It’s much more likely to bring down power lines and trees.”Crews began treating highways with brine after midnight Saturday, with 1,800 workers on 12-hour shifts, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry said.”We’re going to do what we can to keep the ice from sticking to the roads,” McMurry said. “This is going to be a challenge.” The Midwest saw windchills as low as minus 40 Fahrenheit, meaning that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes. The minus 36 F reading in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, on Saturday morning was the coldest in almost 30 years.In Minneapolis, the worst of an extreme cold wave was over, but protesters calling for ICE to leave Minnesota on Saturday still faced an outdoor temperature of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit.Workers from The Orange Tent Project, a Chicago nonprofit that provides cold-weather tents and other supplies to unhoused people throughout the city, went out to check on those who did not or could not seek shelter.”Seeing the forecasted weather, I knew we had to come out and do this today,” said CEO Morgan McLuckie. Churches moved Sunday services online, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, decided to hold its Saturday night radio performance without fans. Mardi Gras parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled.School superintendents in Philadelphia and Houston announced that schools would be closed Monday.Some universities in the South canceled classes for Monday, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Mississippi’s main campus in Oxford.Around the southeast, people used the cancellations to have some fun. On a hill outside the Capitol building in Nashville, adult sledders on green discs and inflatable pool animals giggled with joy as they slid in the snow. President Donald Trump said via social media on Friday that his administration was coordinating with state and local officials, and “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.” Nine states have requested emergency declarations, according to a FEMA briefing document released Saturday. The declarations can unlock federal emergency resources. Trump on Friday approved emergency declarations for South Carolina and Virginia, and requests from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia were still pending as of Saturday morning.”I think there are two parts of this storm that make it unique. One is just a broad expanse of spatial coverage of this event … You’ve got 2,000 miles of country that’s being impacted by the storm with snow, sleet, and freezing rain,” said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist at NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center. “The other part of this storm that’s really impressive is what’s going to happen right afterward. We’re looking at extreme cold, record cold.” Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Julie Walker in New York, David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, George Walker in Nashville and Laura Bargfeld in Chicago contributed to this report. Amy reported from Atlanta and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut.

OKLAHOMA CITY —

Thousands of flights across the U.S. set to take off over the weekend were canceled as a monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across much of the country and threatened to knock out power for days and snarl major roadways with dangerous ice.

Roughly 140 million people, or more than 40% of the U.S. population, were under a winter storm warning from New Mexico to New England. The National Weather Service forecast warned of widespread heavy snow and a band of catastrophic ice stretching from east Texas to North Carolina. By midday Saturday, a quarter of an inch of ice was reported in parts of southeastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas and portions of Louisiana.

“What really makes this storm unique is, just following this storm, it’s just going to get so cold,” said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “The snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder any recovery efforts.”

Governors in more than a dozen states sounded the alarm about the turbulent weather ahead, declaring emergencies or urging people to stay home. As crews in some southern states began working to restore downed power lines, officials in some eastern states issued final warnings to residents.

“We are expecting a storm the likes of which we haven’t seen in years,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Saturday while announcing restrictions on commercial vehicle travel and a 35 mph speed limit on highways. She added: “It’s a good weekend to stay indoors.”

Little Rock, Arkansas, was covered with sleet and snow Saturday, giving Chris Plank doubts about whether he would be able to make a five-hour drive to Dallas for work on Sunday. While some snow is a yearly event, Plank was concerned most about the ice.

“All of the power lines are above ground, so it doesn’t take very much to end up in the dark,” Plank said.

Forecasters say the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

Around 120,000 power outages were reported in the path of the winter storm Saturday afternoon, including about 53,000 in Texas and 45,000 in Louisiana, according to poweroutage.us.

In Shelby County, Texas, near the Louisiana border, ice weighed down on pine trees and caused branches to snap, downing power lines. About a third of the county’s 16,000 residents were without power on Saturday.

“We have hundreds of trees down and a lot of limbs in the road,” Shelby County Commissioner Stevie Smith said from his pickup truck. “I’ve got my crew out clearing roads as fast as we can. It’s a lot to deal with right now.”

All Saturday flights were canceled at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City, and all Sunday morning flights also were called off, as officials aimed to restart service Sunday afternoon at Oklahoma’s biggest airport.

More than 12,000 flights were canceled Saturday and Sunday across the U.S., according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, a major hub, saw more than 700 departing flights canceled on Saturday and nearly as many arriving flights called off. Disruptions were also piling up at airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

After sweeping through the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast, dumping about 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington through New York and Boston, the weather service predicted.

“Please, if you can avoid it, do not drive, do not travel, do not do anything that can potentially place you or your loved ones in danger,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Saturday. “Instead, I urge every New Yorker who can to put a warm sweater on, turn on the TV, watch ‘Mission Impossible’ for the 10th time, above all to stay inside.”

Officials in Georgia advised people in the state’s northern regions to get off the roads by sundown Saturday and be prepared to stay put for at least 48 hours.

Will Lanxton, the senior state meteorologist, said Georgia could get “perhaps the biggest ice storm we have expected in more than a decade,” followed by unusually cold temperatures.

“Ice is a whole different ballgame than snow,” Lanxton said. “Ice, you can’t do anything with. You can’t drive on it. It’s much more likely to bring down power lines and trees.”

Crews began treating highways with brine after midnight Saturday, with 1,800 workers on 12-hour shifts, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry said.

“We’re going to do what we can to keep the ice from sticking to the roads,” McMurry said. “This is going to be a challenge.”

The Midwest saw windchills as low as minus 40 Fahrenheit, meaning that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes. The minus 36 F reading in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, on Saturday morning was the coldest in almost 30 years.

In Minneapolis, the worst of an extreme cold wave was over, but protesters calling for ICE to leave Minnesota on Saturday still faced an outdoor temperature of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Workers from The Orange Tent Project, a Chicago nonprofit that provides cold-weather tents and other supplies to unhoused people throughout the city, went out to check on those who did not or could not seek shelter.

“Seeing the forecasted weather, I knew we had to come out and do this today,” said CEO Morgan McLuckie.

Churches moved Sunday services online, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, decided to hold its Saturday night radio performance without fans. Mardi Gras parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled.

School superintendents in Philadelphia and Houston announced that schools would be closed Monday.

Some universities in the South canceled classes for Monday, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Mississippi’s main campus in Oxford.

Around the southeast, people used the cancellations to have some fun. On a hill outside the Capitol building in Nashville, adult sledders on green discs and inflatable pool animals giggled with joy as they slid in the snow.

President Donald Trump said via social media on Friday that his administration was coordinating with state and local officials, and “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.”

Nine states have requested emergency declarations, according to a FEMA briefing document released Saturday. The declarations can unlock federal emergency resources. Trump on Friday approved emergency declarations for South Carolina and Virginia, and requests from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia were still pending as of Saturday morning.

“I think there are two parts of this storm that make it unique. One is just a broad expanse of spatial coverage of this event … You’ve got 2,000 miles of country that’s being impacted by the storm with snow, sleet, and freezing rain,” said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist at NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center. “The other part of this storm that’s really impressive is what’s going to happen right afterward. We’re looking at extreme cold, record cold.”

Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Julie Walker in New York, David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, George Walker in Nashville and Laura Bargfeld in Chicago contributed to this report. Amy reported from Atlanta and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut.

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January 25, 2026
Thousands of flights canceled as major winter storm moves across the US

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Thousands of flights across the U.S. set to take off over the weekend were canceled as a monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across much of the country and threatened to knock out power for days and snarl major roadways with dangerous ice.Roughly 140 million people, or more than 40% of the U.S. population, were under a winter storm warning from New Mexico to New England. The National Weather Service forecast warned of widespread heavy snow and a band of catastrophic ice stretching from east Texas to North Carolina. By midday Saturday, a quarter of an inch of ice was reported in parts of southeastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas and portions of Louisiana.”What really makes this storm unique is, just following this storm, it’s just going to get so cold,” said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “The snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder any recovery efforts.”Governors in more than a dozen states sounded the alarm about the turbulent weather ahead, declaring emergencies or urging people to stay home. As crews in some southern states began working to restore downed power lines, officials in some eastern states issued final warnings to residents. “We are expecting a storm the likes of which we haven’t seen in years,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Saturday while announcing restrictions on commercial vehicle travel and a 35 mph speed limit on highways. She added: “It’s a good weekend to stay indoors.”Little Rock, Arkansas, was covered with sleet and snow Saturday, giving Chris Plank doubts about whether he would be able to make a five-hour drive to Dallas for work on Sunday. While some snow is a yearly event, Plank was concerned most about the ice.”All of the power lines are above ground, so it doesn’t take very much to end up in the dark,” Plank said.Forecasters say the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane. Around 120,000 power outages were reported in the path of the winter storm Saturday afternoon, including about 53,000 in Texas and 45,000 in Louisiana, according to poweroutage.us.In Shelby County, Texas, near the Louisiana border, ice weighed down on pine trees and caused branches to snap, downing power lines. About a third of the county’s 16,000 residents were without power on Saturday.”We have hundreds of trees down and a lot of limbs in the road,” Shelby County Commissioner Stevie Smith said from his pickup truck. “I’ve got my crew out clearing roads as fast as we can. It’s a lot to deal with right now.”All Saturday flights were canceled at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City, and all Sunday morning flights also were called off, as officials aimed to restart service Sunday afternoon at Oklahoma’s biggest airport. More than 12,000 flights were canceled Saturday and Sunday across the U.S., according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, a major hub, saw more than 700 departing flights canceled on Saturday and nearly as many arriving flights called off. Disruptions were also piling up at airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte, North Carolina.After sweeping through the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast, dumping about 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington through New York and Boston, the weather service predicted. “Please, if you can avoid it, do not drive, do not travel, do not do anything that can potentially place you or your loved ones in danger,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Saturday. “Instead, I urge every New Yorker who can to put a warm sweater on, turn on the TV, watch ‘Mission Impossible’ for the 10th time, above all to stay inside.” Officials in Georgia advised people in the state’s northern regions to get off the roads by sundown Saturday and be prepared to stay put for at least 48 hours.Will Lanxton, the senior state meteorologist, said Georgia could get “perhaps the biggest ice storm we have expected in more than a decade,” followed by unusually cold temperatures. “Ice is a whole different ballgame than snow,” Lanxton said. “Ice, you can’t do anything with. You can’t drive on it. It’s much more likely to bring down power lines and trees.”Crews began treating highways with brine after midnight Saturday, with 1,800 workers on 12-hour shifts, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry said.”We’re going to do what we can to keep the ice from sticking to the roads,” McMurry said. “This is going to be a challenge.” The Midwest saw windchills as low as minus 40 Fahrenheit, meaning that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes. The minus 36 F reading in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, on Saturday morning was the coldest in almost 30 years.In Minneapolis, the worst of an extreme cold wave was over, but protesters calling for ICE to leave Minnesota on Saturday still faced an outdoor temperature of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit.Workers from The Orange Tent Project, a Chicago nonprofit that provides cold-weather tents and other supplies to unhoused people throughout the city, went out to check on those who did not or could not seek shelter.”Seeing the forecasted weather, I knew we had to come out and do this today,” said CEO Morgan McLuckie. Churches moved Sunday services online, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, decided to hold its Saturday night radio performance without fans. Mardi Gras parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled.School superintendents in Philadelphia and Houston announced that schools would be closed Monday.Some universities in the South canceled classes for Monday, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Mississippi’s main campus in Oxford.Around the southeast, people used the cancellations to have some fun. On a hill outside the Capitol building in Nashville, adult sledders on green discs and inflatable pool animals giggled with joy as they slid in the snow. President Donald Trump said via social media on Friday that his administration was coordinating with state and local officials, and “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.” Nine states have requested emergency declarations, according to a FEMA briefing document released Saturday. The declarations can unlock federal emergency resources. Trump on Friday approved emergency declarations for South Carolina and Virginia, and requests from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia were still pending as of Saturday morning.”I think there are two parts of this storm that make it unique. One is just a broad expanse of spatial coverage of this event … You’ve got 2,000 miles of country that’s being impacted by the storm with snow, sleet, and freezing rain,” said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist at NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center. “The other part of this storm that’s really impressive is what’s going to happen right afterward. We’re looking at extreme cold, record cold.” Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Julie Walker in New York, David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, George Walker in Nashville and Laura Bargfeld in Chicago contributed to this report. Amy reported from Atlanta and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut.

OKLAHOMA CITY —

Thousands of flights across the U.S. set to take off over the weekend were canceled as a monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across much of the country and threatened to knock out power for days and snarl major roadways with dangerous ice.

Roughly 140 million people, or more than 40% of the U.S. population, were under a winter storm warning from New Mexico to New England. The National Weather Service forecast warned of widespread heavy snow and a band of catastrophic ice stretching from east Texas to North Carolina. By midday Saturday, a quarter of an inch of ice was reported in parts of southeastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas and portions of Louisiana.

“What really makes this storm unique is, just following this storm, it’s just going to get so cold,” said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “The snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder any recovery efforts.”

Governors in more than a dozen states sounded the alarm about the turbulent weather ahead, declaring emergencies or urging people to stay home. As crews in some southern states began working to restore downed power lines, officials in some eastern states issued final warnings to residents.

“We are expecting a storm the likes of which we haven’t seen in years,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Saturday while announcing restrictions on commercial vehicle travel and a 35 mph speed limit on highways. She added: “It’s a good weekend to stay indoors.”

Little Rock, Arkansas, was covered with sleet and snow Saturday, giving Chris Plank doubts about whether he would be able to make a five-hour drive to Dallas for work on Sunday. While some snow is a yearly event, Plank was concerned most about the ice.

“All of the power lines are above ground, so it doesn’t take very much to end up in the dark,” Plank said.

Forecasters say the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

Around 120,000 power outages were reported in the path of the winter storm Saturday afternoon, including about 53,000 in Texas and 45,000 in Louisiana, according to poweroutage.us.

In Shelby County, Texas, near the Louisiana border, ice weighed down on pine trees and caused branches to snap, downing power lines. About a third of the county’s 16,000 residents were without power on Saturday.

“We have hundreds of trees down and a lot of limbs in the road,” Shelby County Commissioner Stevie Smith said from his pickup truck. “I’ve got my crew out clearing roads as fast as we can. It’s a lot to deal with right now.”

All Saturday flights were canceled at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City, and all Sunday morning flights also were called off, as officials aimed to restart service Sunday afternoon at Oklahoma’s biggest airport.

More than 12,000 flights were canceled Saturday and Sunday across the U.S., according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, a major hub, saw more than 700 departing flights canceled on Saturday and nearly as many arriving flights called off. Disruptions were also piling up at airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

After sweeping through the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast, dumping about 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington through New York and Boston, the weather service predicted.

“Please, if you can avoid it, do not drive, do not travel, do not do anything that can potentially place you or your loved ones in danger,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Saturday. “Instead, I urge every New Yorker who can to put a warm sweater on, turn on the TV, watch ‘Mission Impossible’ for the 10th time, above all to stay inside.”

Officials in Georgia advised people in the state’s northern regions to get off the roads by sundown Saturday and be prepared to stay put for at least 48 hours.

Will Lanxton, the senior state meteorologist, said Georgia could get “perhaps the biggest ice storm we have expected in more than a decade,” followed by unusually cold temperatures.

“Ice is a whole different ballgame than snow,” Lanxton said. “Ice, you can’t do anything with. You can’t drive on it. It’s much more likely to bring down power lines and trees.”

Crews began treating highways with brine after midnight Saturday, with 1,800 workers on 12-hour shifts, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry said.

“We’re going to do what we can to keep the ice from sticking to the roads,” McMurry said. “This is going to be a challenge.”

The Midwest saw windchills as low as minus 40 Fahrenheit, meaning that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes. The minus 36 F reading in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, on Saturday morning was the coldest in almost 30 years.

In Minneapolis, the worst of an extreme cold wave was over, but protesters calling for ICE to leave Minnesota on Saturday still faced an outdoor temperature of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Workers from The Orange Tent Project, a Chicago nonprofit that provides cold-weather tents and other supplies to unhoused people throughout the city, went out to check on those who did not or could not seek shelter.

“Seeing the forecasted weather, I knew we had to come out and do this today,” said CEO Morgan McLuckie.

Churches moved Sunday services online, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, decided to hold its Saturday night radio performance without fans. Mardi Gras parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled.

School superintendents in Philadelphia and Houston announced that schools would be closed Monday.

Some universities in the South canceled classes for Monday, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Mississippi’s main campus in Oxford.

Around the southeast, people used the cancellations to have some fun. On a hill outside the Capitol building in Nashville, adult sledders on green discs and inflatable pool animals giggled with joy as they slid in the snow.

President Donald Trump said via social media on Friday that his administration was coordinating with state and local officials, and “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.”

Nine states have requested emergency declarations, according to a FEMA briefing document released Saturday. The declarations can unlock federal emergency resources. Trump on Friday approved emergency declarations for South Carolina and Virginia, and requests from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia were still pending as of Saturday morning.

“I think there are two parts of this storm that make it unique. One is just a broad expanse of spatial coverage of this event … You’ve got 2,000 miles of country that’s being impacted by the storm with snow, sleet, and freezing rain,” said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist at NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center. “The other part of this storm that’s really impressive is what’s going to happen right afterward. We’re looking at extreme cold, record cold.”

Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Julie Walker in New York, David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, George Walker in Nashville and Laura Bargfeld in Chicago contributed to this report. Amy reported from Atlanta and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut.

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January 25, 2026
Stranded by winter weather? Here’s what airlines owe you

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Winter weather can upend even the best-laid travel plans, but one less thing to worry about is losing money if your flight is canceled: U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds.A major, dayslong winter storm is threatening to bring snow, sleet, ice and extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population. Thousands of weekend flights already have been canceled, and forecasters warn that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.Here’s a guide for travelers as flight disruptions start stacking up: When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee. Search online for your airline’s name and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to look for possible rescheduling offers.American Airlines, for example, said it is waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the storm, which brought freezing rain to parts of Texas on Friday. The Texas-based airline has canceled more than 1,200 flights scheduled to depart Saturday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.American also added extra flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport through at least Sunday — totaling more than 3,200 additional seats. Use the airline’s app to make sure your flight is still on before heading to the airport. Cancellations can happen hours or even days before departure time. If you’re already at the airport, get in line to speak to a customer service representative. If you’re still at home or at your hotel, call or go online to connect to your airline’s reservations staff. Either way, it helps to also research alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge, but it depends on the availability of open seats. You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including most of the biggest carriers, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then, it can be a hit or miss. If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or you’ve found another way to get to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money — even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.The airline might offer you a travel credit, but you are entitled to a full refund. You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use. If you paid with a credit card, a refund is due within seven business days after you decline an offer from the airline for another flight or a voucher, and within 20 calendar days if you paid for the ticket with a check or cash, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. U.S. airlines aren’t required by the Transportation Department to compensate passengers for meals or lodging when an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight during an “uncontrollable” event like bad weather.Each airline, however, does have its own policies for assisting passengers who are stranded by a so-called “controllable” flight cancellation or long delay. These include disruptions caused by maintenance issues, crew shortages or computer outages that halt operations. The Transportation Department can hold airlines accountable for these commitments and maintains a website that lets travelers see what each airline promises if a major disruption is their fault. If the weather forecast is troubling, Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, suggests looking into booking a backup flight. Some airlines stand out as potential backups, Potter says, because they let customers get a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking.The customer service phone lines will be slammed if flight cancellations and delays start stacking up during a bad storm. If you’re traveling with someone who has a higher frequent-flyer status, call the airline using their priority number. Another trick: Look up the airline’s international support number. Those agents can often rebook you just the same.

Winter weather can upend even the best-laid travel plans, but one less thing to worry about is losing money if your flight is canceled: U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds.

A major, dayslong winter storm is threatening to bring snow, sleet, ice and extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population. Thousands of weekend flights already have been canceled, and forecasters warn that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

Here’s a guide for travelers as flight disruptions start stacking up:

When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee. Search online for your airline’s name and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to look for possible rescheduling offers.

American Airlines, for example, said it is waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the storm, which brought freezing rain to parts of Texas on Friday. The Texas-based airline has canceled more than 1,200 flights scheduled to depart Saturday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

American also added extra flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport through at least Sunday — totaling more than 3,200 additional seats.

Use the airline’s app to make sure your flight is still on before heading to the airport. Cancellations can happen hours or even days before departure time.

If you’re already at the airport, get in line to speak to a customer service representative. If you’re still at home or at your hotel, call or go online to connect to your airline’s reservations staff. Either way, it helps to also research alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.

Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge, but it depends on the availability of open seats.

You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including most of the biggest carriers, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then, it can be a hit or miss.

If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or you’ve found another way to get to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money — even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.

The airline might offer you a travel credit, but you are entitled to a full refund. You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use.

If you paid with a credit card, a refund is due within seven business days after you decline an offer from the airline for another flight or a voucher, and within 20 calendar days if you paid for the ticket with a check or cash, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

U.S. airlines aren’t required by the Transportation Department to compensate passengers for meals or lodging when an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight during an “uncontrollable” event like bad weather.

Each airline, however, does have its own policies for assisting passengers who are stranded by a so-called “controllable” flight cancellation or long delay. These include disruptions caused by maintenance issues, crew shortages or computer outages that halt operations. The Transportation Department can hold airlines accountable for these commitments and maintains a website that lets travelers see what each airline promises if a major disruption is their fault.

If the weather forecast is troubling, Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, suggests looking into booking a backup flight. Some airlines stand out as potential backups, Potter says, because they let customers get a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking.

The customer service phone lines will be slammed if flight cancellations and delays start stacking up during a bad storm. If you’re traveling with someone who has a higher frequent-flyer status, call the airline using their priority number. Another trick: Look up the airline’s international support number. Those agents can often rebook you just the same.

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January 24, 2026
Amazon is issuing Prime refunds as part of an FTC settlement. Here’s who’s eligible and what you’ll get

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Amazon began the process of issuing refunds to eligible Prime members this week as part of a large settlement the company agreed to over federal allegations that it misled customers.Related video above: Amazon Scam exposed — Don’t fall for this refund text trickIn 2023, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Amazon. In it, and in media releases since, the FTC has said the company “enrolled millions of people in Prime subscriptions without their consent – and then made it hard for those unwilling Prime subscribers to cancel.”On Sept. 25, 2025, Amazon, without admitting liability, reached a $2.5 billion settlement with the FTC. “Amazon and our executives have always followed the law and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers,” Amazon said upon reaching the settlement. “We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership, and to offer substantial value for our many millions of loyal Prime members around the world. We will continue to do so, and look forward to what we’ll deliver for Prime members in the coming years.”As part of the agreement, Amazon agreed to offer $1.5 billion in refunds to eligible customers. So, do you qualify? Here’s everything we know about the Amazon refunds.When are refund payments being sent out? Amazon has already started the process of issuing automatic refunds to eligible Prime customers. The automatic payments began being doled out on Nov. 12, and that process will continue through Dec. 24, 2025. How much money will I get? According to the FTC, under the settlement, eligible Prime customers can receive a refund of their Amazon Prime subscription fees, up to $51.Who is eligible for the automatic refunds? To qualify for the automatic refund, you had to have signed up for Amazon Prime in the U.S. between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025.Customers only qualify if they signed up for an Amazon Prime subscription through a “challenged enrollment flow,” which the FTC says includes “the universal Prime decision page, shipping selection page, single page checkout, or the Prime Video enrollment flow.”If you’re unsure of whether you signed up through a challenged enrollment flow, you don’t need to worry. According to an FAQ document linked to the FTC’s alert about the refund payments, “you will not need to determine whether or not you signed up through a Challenged Enrollment Flow. That analysis is being completed for you.”Furthermore, to qualify, you must have used no more than three “Amazon Prime Benefits” in “any 12-month period following Amazon Prime enrollment,” according to the FTC. Those benefits include Prime Music or Prime Video products offered for free to Prime subscribers.How will payments be issued? Those who are eligible will receive an email. The FTC says refunds must be accepted within 15 days. Refunds can be issued via PayPal or Venmo. However, those who would rather get a check should “ignore the email from Amazon,” the FTC said in its alert. If you do not claim the PayPal or Venmo payment, a check will be sent to the default shipping address listed on your Prime subscription. The checks must be cashed within 60 days, the FTC said.What if I didn’t get an automatic refund?If you think you are eligible but don’t get an automatic refund, the FTC says you “don’t need to do anything right now.””In 2026, Amazon will begin its claims process for eligible Prime customers who didn’t get an automatic refund between November and December 2025,” the FTC said in its alert, adding, “You don’t need to contact the FTC to receive a refund.”The FTC said it will update its “Amazon Refunds” webpage when the claims process begins.You can also sign up to receive emails by going to this website.Don’t fall for scamsIn its alert about the automatic refunds, the FTC is cautioning consumers that the FTC “will never ask you to pay to get a refund.””Don’t pay anyone who promises you a refund in exchange for a fee. And don’t give personal information to anyone who contacts you promising a refund,” the FTC said.

Amazon began the process of issuing refunds to eligible Prime members this week as part of a large settlement the company agreed to over federal allegations that it misled customers.

Related video above: Amazon Scam exposed — Don’t fall for this refund text trick

In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Amazon. In it, and in media releases since, the FTC has said the company “enrolled millions of people in Prime subscriptions without their consent – and then made it hard for those unwilling Prime subscribers to cancel.”

On Sept. 25, 2025, Amazon, without admitting liability, reached a $2.5 billion settlement with the FTC.

“Amazon and our executives have always followed the law and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers,” Amazon said upon reaching the settlement. “We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership, and to offer substantial value for our many millions of loyal Prime members around the world. We will continue to do so, and look forward to what we’ll deliver for Prime members in the coming years.”

As part of the agreement, Amazon agreed to offer $1.5 billion in refunds to eligible customers.

So, do you qualify? Here’s everything we know about the Amazon refunds.

When are refund payments being sent out?

Amazon has already started the process of issuing automatic refunds to eligible Prime customers.

The automatic payments began being doled out on Nov. 12, and that process will continue through Dec. 24, 2025.

How much money will I get?

According to the FTC, under the settlement, eligible Prime customers can receive a refund of their Amazon Prime subscription fees, up to $51.

Who is eligible for the automatic refunds?

To qualify for the automatic refund, you had to have signed up for Amazon Prime in the U.S. between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025.

Customers only qualify if they signed up for an Amazon Prime subscription through a “challenged enrollment flow,” which the FTC says includes “the universal Prime decision page, shipping selection page, single page checkout, or the Prime Video enrollment flow.”

If you’re unsure of whether you signed up through a challenged enrollment flow, you don’t need to worry. According to an FAQ document linked to the FTC’s alert about the refund payments, “you will not need to determine whether or not you signed up through a Challenged Enrollment Flow. That analysis is being completed for you.”

Furthermore, to qualify, you must have used no more than three “Amazon Prime Benefits” in “any 12-month period following Amazon Prime enrollment,” according to the FTC.

Those benefits include Prime Music or Prime Video products offered for free to Prime subscribers.

How will payments be issued?

Those who are eligible will receive an email. The FTC says refunds must be accepted within 15 days.

Refunds can be issued via PayPal or Venmo. However, those who would rather get a check should “ignore the email from Amazon,” the FTC said in its alert. If you do not claim the PayPal or Venmo payment, a check will be sent to the default shipping address listed on your Prime subscription. The checks must be cashed within 60 days, the FTC said.

What if I didn’t get an automatic refund?

If you think you are eligible but don’t get an automatic refund, the FTC says you “don’t need to do anything right now.”

“In 2026, Amazon will begin its claims process for eligible Prime customers who didn’t get an automatic refund between November and December 2025,” the FTC said in its alert, adding, “You don’t need to contact the FTC to receive a refund.”

The FTC said it will update its “Amazon Refunds” webpage when the claims process begins.

You can also sign up to receive emails by going to this website.

Don’t fall for scams

In its alert about the automatic refunds, the FTC is cautioning consumers that the FTC “will never ask you to pay to get a refund.”

“Don’t pay anyone who promises you a refund in exchange for a fee. And don’t give personal information to anyone who contacts you promising a refund,” the FTC said.

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November 21, 2025
Tourist warns of online scam after brush with convincing fraudster

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Tina Nixon’s holiday went from bad to worse after she requested a refund from travel website Booking.com.

Within 15 minutes of making the request via email, Ms Nixon was called by an apologetic man, promising her money would be returned.

In a whirlwind of rushed instructions, she handed over the details of her travel bank account containing thousands of dollars.

Ms Nixon and her husband realised it was a scam before any large amount of money was lost, but she remains suspicious about how the operation gained access to her phone number.

The pair had travelled to Western Australia from New Zealand for a holiday in October and used Booking.com to book two nights at a large holiday house in a popular tourist spot, Jurien Bay.

Tina and David Nixon realised they were being subjected to a phishing scam before they lost money. (Supplied: Tina Nixon)

Accommodation was ‘unsavoury’

On arrival, she said it was clear the house had not been cleaned after the previous visitors, some amenities were faulty, and the promised hot tub was nowhere in sight.

Disappointed with the “unsavoury” experience and unable to contact the owner, Ms Nixon emailed Booking.com’s customer service inbox requesting a refund.

Not long after sending the email, Ms Nixon received a call on the messaging app WhatsApp.

“Booking.com said someone would contact me, so I wasn’t surprised when I got contacted, but it was quite fast,”

she said.

A professional-sounding male voice was on the other end of the call, apologising to Ms Nixon for her sub-par accommodation.

“I thought, ‘He sounds pretty decent,’” Ms Nixon said.

A scammer contacted Ms Nixon by WhatsApp and asked for personal information. (Supplied: Tina Nixon)

On the man’s request, Ms Nixon filled out a form that asked for her credit card details, including the CVC security code.

The man then requested she use a third-party platform to provide personal information, claiming her identity had to be verified for “anti-money laundering reasons”.

“That doesn’t surprise me because that happens a lot in New Zealand,” she explained.

“In this age, you get so used to different platforms that you just don’t think twice.“

Fortunately, Ms Nixon’s husband raised doubts about the man’s credibility and the couple discovered through her banking app that the account she had provided the details for had already been “pinged” multiple times by the identity verification app.

Ms Nixon immediately froze her card and moved most of her money to another account.

When she temporarily unfroze the card the next day, she was charged $11 by Uber Eats in Kenya.

“I could’ve lost thousands very quickly,” she said.

Tactics for trust

The former journalist said she should have known better than to be tricked by the scammer, but there were several tactics at play.

“They talk really, really fast, and I think this is where they get a lot of older people,” she said.

“They’re constantly reassuring you that everything’s right, and you’re thinking you’re going to get your $500 back as a refund.”

Additionally, Ms Nixon said the phone call appeared to originate from England, where the company has an office.

Jurien Bay is a popular coastal destination in Western Australia. (ABC News: Chris Lewis)

Don’t share details

Ms Nixon has since continued liaising with Booking.com via the customer service email and was fully refunded for her stay.

A spokesperson for Booking.com said it would never ask customers to provide credit card details through text, messaging apps or email, and that it would only request payments via its own platform.

Part of the encounter with the scammer. (Supplied: Tina Nixon)

“Should a customer have any concern about a payment message, we ask them to carefully check the payment policy details on their booking confirmation to be sure that any message is legitimate,” they said.

However, Ms Nixon remains suspicious that there could have been a data breach on the travel website.

“I haven’t quite finished working out how they knew exactly how to contact me,” she said.

“I want to know, is my information out there as a result of a previous hack?”

Booking.com did not answer questions about whether there had been any breaches in its security and how it would respond.

The regulatory body for data leaks from Booking.com is the Dutch data protection authority.

The authority said Booking.com had reported several data breaches in the past.

Phishing dollars climb

The National Anti-Scam Centre says “phishing,” where scammers contact victims pretending to be from a legitimate business, has swindled victims of more than $17 million in Australia this year, nearly double last year’s losses.

Nearly 25,000 phishing scams have been reported to Scamwatch in 2025 to date, with the most common demographic of people reporting scams aged 65 years and over.

A National Anti-Scam Centre spokesperson urged people to never provide personal, credit card or online account details after receiving a call claiming to be from their bank or any other organisation.

“Ask for their name and contact number and make an independent check with the organisation in question before calling back,” they advised.

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October 26, 2025
Governor Highlights Florida Prepaid Program Success, Encourages Parents to Claim Refunds

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During National College Savings Month, Governor Ron DeSantis announced record refunds to parents through the Florida Prepaid program and encourages all Florida families to take advantage of an affordable prepaid college plan.

In total, Florida has returned nearly $1 billion to Florida families through Prepaid Florida refunds. Florida Prepaid is the largest and longest running prepaid program of its kind, with a 35-year track record of helping over 1.2 million Florida families save for college so they can graduate and enter the workforce without burdensome loan debts.

“Because of our focus on academic achievement and fiscal responsibility, Florida has both the number one ranked higher education system and the lowest tuition in the country,” said Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. “Florida’s flexible college savings options like the Florida Prepaid program allow parents to get a head start on paying for the future, and even get money back when tuition stays low. And because I have ensured tuition has not been raised in Florida since I’ve become Governor, we have another round of refunds available for parents now.”

The Florida Prepaid college saving program allows Florida families to lock in future tuition costs at today’s prices. Because the program factors in what tuition may cost in the future, parents receive a refund if tuition stays lower than what is predicted, often resulting in thousands of dollars back.

“Florida is setting an example for the rest of the nation for ensuring that students can access higher education without taking on high amounts of debt,” said Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. “I am proud that Florida not only offers options like Florida Prepaid, but we are also returning money to parents because Governor DeSantis has kept tuition low.”

“There is a national narrative that higher education is extremely costly and not worth it. As the number one state for higher education for eight years in a row, Florida universities are a great return on investment. Florida has held tuition and fees flat and continues to prioritize textbook affordability,” said Ray Rodrigues, Chancellor of the State University System of Florida. “National College Savings Month provides an opportunity to highlight the affordability of our public institutions and the benefit Florida’s Prepaid College Savings Programs offer to families.”

Since Governor DeSantis took office, Florida has secured two rollbacks on Florida Prepaid Plan rates, one in 2020 and another earlier this year. These rollbacks have resulted in hundreds of thousands of families paying less, with their prepaid plan rates being reduced by a cumulative amount of $2.6 billion. In fact, more than 40,000 families still need to collect their 2024 refund, with over $130 million in unclaimed refunds.

To find out if you have an unclaimed refund, please login to your Florida Prepaid account.

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September 23, 2024
Looks Like Steam Now Has Timed Demos, Dead Space Up First

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Image: Valve

The ability to try before you buy has been a thorn in gaming retail’s side for generations. From the demo discs of old to the subscription models of today, publishers and shopfronts have had to wrestle with the idea that a lot of people only want to spend money on games they’ll enjoy.

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Yesterday

Whether that’s right or not, I don’t have the bandwidth for today—the idea that you could get a refund for a bad movie is laughable, but then, movies don’t cost $70, and what even is a “bad” game anyway?—but regardless, I’ve always been fascinated by the systems and processes companies have tried over the years to help sell their games.

Like this! Steam has long been a battleground for this kind of stuff. You’ve long been able to download demos on Steam if the studio/publisher wanted it, and free weekends have also been here for ages, but for a while now the accepted practice on the platform has been buy a game, play it for a bit and if you don’t like it within the first two hours, you can just refund it and get your money back.

That’s not an ideal scenario for anyone. Games are big downloads these days, and companies are actually losing money on processing fees every time you have to refund a transaction. So Valve looks to have thought of something new: a demo, only you get to play the full game, only you get a very limited amount of time to actually play it.

Dead Space is the first to offer the “Timed Trial” feature—which is baked into Steam itself, so surely it’s more than a one-off—and you can see how it works below:

Image: Valve

Is 90 minutes enough time to really get a handle on a game? I don’t know! It’s a figure that sits below the point you used to be able to request a refund on, but also sits a few hours back from the point where some games start getting good, so who knows how useful this could be.

I’ve asked Valve if other games are going to be implementing this soon, and if so if their time limits can be adjusted by publishers/studios.

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Luke Plunkett

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May 16, 2023