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A brutal cold that can cause frostbite in minutes swept the Midwest for a second day and blew in the northeast Thursday, blocking air traffic and delaying Amazon and other parcel deliveries.
Temperatures at O 'Hare at 5:30 were minus 21 degrees, with gusts of 37 degrees below zero, the National Meteorological Service announced.
Delta Air Lines, American, United, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways have announced that they will waive the date change fee for travelers affected by inclement weather. Southwest Airlines, which has no date change fee, said it would not charge travelers booked in more than two dozen US airports the price difference for a subsequent flight due to extreme weather conditions . Southwest canceled 410 flights Thursday, about 10% of its schedule.
Although planes can generally take off at low temperatures, freezing temperatures limit the amount of time that ground workers can remain loaded with luggage, fuel or other essential services for aircraft.
Delta, which operates hubs in Minneapolis and Detroit, is prepared for the cold weather by increasing the number of ground workers. Employees can take more frequent breaks inside, as the airline can prepare for low temperatures by moving some planes into heated hangars overnight, said spokesman Michael Thomas.
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