Major US winter storm impacting flights at Las Vegas’ airport
A strong winter storm blasted a large swath of the U.S. on Wednesday, snarling travel, including flights at Harry Reid International Airport.
Winter Storm Landon brought freezing rain and snow to the middle of the country, leading airlines to cancel over 2,500 flights nationwide, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
The blast of frigid weather, which began arriving Tuesday night, put a long stretch of states from New Mexico and Colorado to Maine under winter storm warnings and watches. Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan saw freezing rain and snow Wednesday morning.
FlightAware listed 51 flights canceled into or out of Reid as of Wednesday evening. Another 151 flights were delayed.
Southwest Airlines, Reid’s busiest carrier, had seen 26 flights canceled as of Wednesday morning, which the airline tied to issues related to the massive storm.
“Our Operational Planners are carefully tracking Winter Storm Landon as it moves eastward across the United States,” said Dan Landson, Southwest spokesman. “We encourage travelers to visit Southwest.com to view their flight status and review the latest travel advisories, which includes flexible travel accommodations.”
Other airlines with nixed flights at Reid included Spirit Airlines (seven), Frontier Airlines (five), American Airlines (three) Allegaint Air (two) and United Airlines (one), according to FlightAware.
“Inclement weather in other parts of the country can cause disruptions throughout the entire network,” said Joe Rajchel, Reid airport spokesman. “We recommend that travelers check the status of the flight prior to heading to the airport. They should also be prepared for potential delays by having items on hand such as snacks, child care essentials, medication, etc. And as always, we ask that travelers pack their patience.”
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
