DELAYS/CANCELLATIONS EXPECTED, PASSENGERS SHOULD VERIFY FLIGHT STATUS WITH THEIR AIRLINE BEFORE COMING TO THE AIRPORT
Airport maintenance crews at WRWA have been preparing for the early winter storm forecasted for Monday through Wednesday in central Oklahoma. They are ready to treat runways, taxiways, roadways and walking surfaces to maintain airport operations. Though it is not expected that the airport will close, many airlines will likely reduce their flights and operations significantly as a precaution.
As of right now, Southwest Airlines has canceled 16 flights today and 4 flights tomorrow due to the storm. This includes the rest of their departures and arrivals for Monday afternoon/evening and all departures early Tuesday morning. Southwest anticipates being operational again with their first arrival at 10:20am on Tuesday, October 27. Delta Air Lines has canceled their last inbound flight from Atlanta tonight. This also cancels the 6:00 a.m. departure for Tuesday morning. As of 2:40 p.m. today, no other flights have been canceled.
Other airlines have experienced delays with the storm’s arrival. The most likely causes for additional flight delays will be airline de-icing procedures prior to flight departures and brief periods when airport crews may need to close runways/taxiways to treat, brush or scrape frozen precipitation.
If travelers have flexible schedules and are interested in changing their flight, a majority of the airlines are already waiving reservation change fees due to the impact of COVID-19 on the air travel industry. Those changes are made through their airline’s customer care number or they can visit the airline’s website.
Besides the work they will be doing on the airfield, airport maintenance crews will be diligent in clearing Terminal Drive and sidewalks connecting travelers to the terminal; however, drivers and pedestrians should use extra caution when navigating during icy weather.
As always, the airport urges travelers and visitors to regularly check their flight’s status through their airline prior to coming to the airport. Most airlines offer flight updates via mobile app, text notifications or the airline’s website. These are very convenient ways to stay informed about a flight’s status.
Travelers can also check their flight status on the arrivals and departures pages at flyokc.com.