Airline Cancels 220 Flights After Running Low on De-Icer
Nearly 500 flights have been canceled at Chicago's airports as they continue to clean up following a series of heavy snowfalls in the area.
Southwest Airlines canceled more than 200 flights out of Midway International Airport Sunday after running out of the product they use to de-ice planes.
Southwest said the airline company will continue to work with passengers to accommodate travel plans and have updated their customer accommodation policies on their website. Southwest had to shut down Midway operations at mid-day Sunday, bringing cancellations over the weekend to 250. A total of 222 flights were canceled, and the average delay on departing flights was around 22 minutes as of 4 p.m. Sunday.
"Throughout the storms, we've actively worked to manage our glycol levels (used to deice aircraft) but due to the severity of the winter weather Southwest has proactively canceled about 220 flights as of Midday Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018", a spokesperson said in an email. While a supply of the de-icing liquid arrived early Monday, a "handful of flights" may still be canceled, she said. Chicago temperatures dropped to below 20 degrees Fahrenheit Sunday during the storm.
Even more snow, and some sleet, fell on Saturday night and into Sunday morning, prompting a Winter Weather Advisory and hazardous travel conditions in some areas.