The Latest Breaking News from FlightAware

Winter weather alerts have been issued in more than two dozen states

A vast winter storm is pummeling the central U.S., dumping record levels of snow, canceling hundreds of flights and coating roads with ice to create “impossible” travel conditions.

As chaos at Southwest Airlines brought misery to thousands of frustrated travelers and growing scrutiny from U.S. regulators and lawmakers, many in the aviation industry said the massive cancellation of flights by the nation’s largest domestic carrier was far from surprising.

The airline expects a tough week ahead for travelers.

Southwest Airlines Co. expects the flight chaos caused by the massive winter storm that battered the U.S. to continue for at least another few days as the government questioned whether the airline is complying with its customer service plan.

The weather service said "life-threatening cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills will create a potentially life-threatening hazard for travelers that become stranded" or people who work outside.

Airline cancellations topped 5,700 US flights on Friday as massive winter storms snarled airport operations around the United States and frustrated tens of thousands of holiday travelers. That followed nearly 2,700 canceled flights on Thursday, while just over 1,000 flights have already been canceled for Saturday, according to flight tracking…

Massive delays and cancellations are taking place at airports across the country.

An enormous storm is battering a vast swath of the U.S. and Canada, knocking out power to more than 1.4 million homes and businesses, grounding thousands of flights and dashing hopes for delivery of last-minute holiday gifts.