Flying to Disney This Week? Southwest Issues Travel Advisory for Winter Storm Elliot

It is almost Christmas, and the holiday traffic continues to swell across the United States as scores of people fly off to beloved destinations, including The Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida and the Disneyland Resort in Southern California.

But for those flying to either The Happiest Place On Earth or the Most Magical Place On Earth, Winter Storm Elliot might have a significant impact on your trip.

Southwest Airlines issued a Christmas travel advisory today, December 21, alerting its passengers to the potential issues.

Weather conditions caused by winter storms are resulting in multiple disruptions across the country. Check your flight status and explore self-service options here: https://t.co/h7qaP6pgFx pic.twitter.com/RuJV5W4Loi

— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) December 21, 2022

Related: National Weather Service Issues Safety Brief for Floridians Prepping for Christmas Freeze

Southwest states,

During the Holiday season, we expect an increased number of Customers traveling. Our purpose is to connect People to what’s important in their lives, and we will do our best to safely operate our flights as scheduled. However, based on the forecasted weather conditions for the cities and dates below, our scheduled service may be disrupted (flights may be delayed, diverted, and/or canceled).

Customers holding reservations to/from/through the cities listed below on the corresponding dates, may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge.

Related: Could Disney World Get a White Christmas? Freezing Temperatures Expected

This disruption of traffic is expected to last from Tuesday, December 20, through Monday, December 26, for the following cities across the United States:

• Albany, NY (ALB)
• Amarillo, TX (AMA)
• Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)
• Bellingham, WA (BLI)
• Boise, ID (BOI)
• Boston (Logan), MA (BOS)
• Bozeman/Yellowstone, MT (BZN)
• Buffalo/Niagara, NY (BUF)
• Chicago Midway, IL (MDW)
• Chicago O’Hare, IL (ORD)
• Cincinnati, OH (CVG)
• Cleveland, OH (CLE)
• Colorado Springs, CO (COS)
• Columbus, OH (CMH)
• Denver, CO (DEN)
• Des Moines, IA (DSM)
• Detroit, MI (DTW)
• Grand Rapids, MI (GRR)
• Hartford, CT (BDL)
• Indianapolis, IN (IND)
• Kansas City, MO (MCI)
• Little Rock, AR (LIT)
• Long Island/Islip, NY (ISP)
• Louisville, KY (SDF)
• Lubbock, TX (LBB)
• Manchester, NH (MHT)
• Memphis, TN (MEM)
• Milwaukee, WI (MKE)
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP)
• Montrose (Telluride/Crested Butte), CO (MTJ)
• Nashville, TN (BNA)
• New York LaGuardia, NY (LGA)
• Oklahoma City, OK (OKC)
• Omaha, NE (OMA)
• Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
• Pittsburgh, PA (PIT)
• Portland, ME (PWM)
• Portland, OR (PDX)
• Providence, RI (PVD)
• Rochester, NY (ROC)
• Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)
• Seattle, WA (SEA)
• Spokane, WA (GEG)
• Steamboat Springs (Hayden), CO (HDN)
• St. Louis, MO (STL)
• Syracuse, NY (SYR)
• Tulsa, OK (TUL)
• Washington Dulles, DC (IAD)
• Washington Reagan National, DC (DCA)
• Wichita, KS (ICT)

It should be noted that while Orlando International Airport, John Wayne International Airport, or Los Angeles International Airport are not included in this list, flights to the Disney-neighboring airports can be affected either due to the weather in that specific location or an inability to get the plane to the gate. Southwest Airlines is one of the most common carriers used for Disneyland or Disney World vacations, as are United Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Spirit Airlines.

We advise all would-be fliers to continue to check on your reservations and reach out to Southwest or whichever airline you are traveling for the most up-to-date information regarding the first big leg of your journey to a magical Disney Parks vacation.

We will continue to update our readers on Disney Parks news and stories as more developments come to light.