Travelers hitting the road this weekend should be keeping a close eye on two winter storms making their way across the United States as delays and cancellations are expected.
According to AccuWeather.com, the first storm is expected to impact travel in Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia starting Friday and continuing through Saturday morning.
Forecasters believe the storm will produce enough snow to make roads slippery and may cause some flight delays and cancellations Friday.
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On the other hand, Winter Storm Harper is expected to bring heavy snow across Illinois and other northern portions of the Midwest Friday before hitting Pennsylvania, New York and northern New England.
According to Weather.com, the storm system is expected to turn into an all-out blizzard in some areas, with as much as 12 inches in Albany, Boston and Pittsburgh. Areas of northern New England could see as much as 24 inches through Sunday.
Both storms are expected to cause road closures and flight cancellations in impacted areas.
As a result, several major airlines have started issuing travel waivers for customers flying to or from destinations expecting heavy snow. Many of the carriers are also waiving change fees for impacted flights.
American Airlines announced it is waiving change fees and fare differences for travel on January 19 and 20 to and from the Northeast, eastern Canada and 32 total airports. Passengers must complete their trip by January 23 to be eligible for the travel waivers.
Delta Air Lines is also getting ahead of the storms by issuing travel warnings for the Central Plains, Ohio Valley, Midwest and Northeast for the coming days. In total, travelers making their way through over 50 airports in impacted regions will be eligible to have their change fees waived. When rescheduled travel occurs beyond January 23, the change fee will not be waived.
As for United Airlines, the carrier is waiving change fees for flights in and out of more than 70 airports in the Midwest, central U.S. and Northeast between January 18 and 20. Passengers will have to rebook their trip by January 23 if they don’t want to pay a change fee or difference in fares.
Other carriers are also expected to issue travel waivers Friday. As always, airlines are asking travelers to call ahead to make sure their flights are not delayed or canceled before heading to the airport.