A sprawling winter system that the National Weather Service has called “historic in size and severity” unleashed a third straight day of havoc on U.S. transportation networks on 26-27 January. Flight-tracking service FlightAware logged more than 11,000 cancellations on Sunday, another 5,300 on Monday, and hundreds more rolling into Tuesday as airlines struggled to reposition aircraft and crew. American Airlines alone scrubbed nearly 1,200 flights on Monday, while Delta, United, JetBlue and regional partner Republic each cancelled hundreds. Ripple effects were felt nationwide as hub-and-spoke schedules collapsed, leaving aircraft out of position and crews timing-out under FAA duty-time rules.(thestar.com.my)
Major business-travel markets bore the brunt. Boston Logan reported a 71 percent cancellation rate on Monday; Dallas–Fort Worth, Charlotte, JFK, Newark and Atlanta each exceeded 40 percent. The FAA warned of continuing ground-stops at Northeastern hubs because low visibility and runway-treatment work were expected through 27 January. Federal offices in Washington, D.C. closed, adding to the slowdown of passport and visa processing.(straitstimes.com)
Amid the uncertainty over postponed flights and shuttered government counters, travelers can lean on specialist agencies to keep paperwork moving. VisaHQ, for instance, lets individuals and corporate mobility teams submit U.S. passport or visa applications entirely online, track progress in real time, and arrange door-to-door courier pick-ups—services that remain operational even when local offices close for weather. Details and requirements are at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/
![Monster Winter Storm Grounds Business Travel Across the United States]()
Weather analysts at AccuWeather estimate direct economic losses from the storm at US$105–115 billion—already the costliest U.S. weather event since the 2025 California wild-fires. Besides air travel, freezing rain created treacherous road conditions across the Mid-Atlantic and South-east, while power-outages topped 540,000 customers early Tuesday, disrupting remote-work contingencies and forcing many offices to shut or go fully virtual.(goodmorningamerica.com)
Corporate travel managers activated emergency protocols. Several Fortune 500 employers told TravelWise they have suspended non-essential domestic trips through the week and instructed stranded staff to use airline-waiver policies to rebook or reroute once the weather clears. Airlines issued broad re-accommodation waivers, but availability on remaining flights is tight and fares are spiking on city-pairs unaffected by the storm. Travel-risk firm WorldAware urged companies to "expect cascading delays through at least 30 January as equipment and crews are repositioned."(kboi.com)
Practical implications for global-mobility teams are immediate. International assignees attempting to fly into U.S. hubs for orientation or I-9 onboarding should anticipate multi-day delays. Employers may need to extend temporary housing and adjust start dates, while immigration counsel warn that applicants with tight visa-activation windows should document airline cancellations in case grace-period extensions are required.
Major business-travel markets bore the brunt. Boston Logan reported a 71 percent cancellation rate on Monday; Dallas–Fort Worth, Charlotte, JFK, Newark and Atlanta each exceeded 40 percent. The FAA warned of continuing ground-stops at Northeastern hubs because low visibility and runway-treatment work were expected through 27 January. Federal offices in Washington, D.C. closed, adding to the slowdown of passport and visa processing.(straitstimes.com)
Amid the uncertainty over postponed flights and shuttered government counters, travelers can lean on specialist agencies to keep paperwork moving. VisaHQ, for instance, lets individuals and corporate mobility teams submit U.S. passport or visa applications entirely online, track progress in real time, and arrange door-to-door courier pick-ups—services that remain operational even when local offices close for weather. Details and requirements are at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/
Weather analysts at AccuWeather estimate direct economic losses from the storm at US$105–115 billion—already the costliest U.S. weather event since the 2025 California wild-fires. Besides air travel, freezing rain created treacherous road conditions across the Mid-Atlantic and South-east, while power-outages topped 540,000 customers early Tuesday, disrupting remote-work contingencies and forcing many offices to shut or go fully virtual.(goodmorningamerica.com)
Corporate travel managers activated emergency protocols. Several Fortune 500 employers told TravelWise they have suspended non-essential domestic trips through the week and instructed stranded staff to use airline-waiver policies to rebook or reroute once the weather clears. Airlines issued broad re-accommodation waivers, but availability on remaining flights is tight and fares are spiking on city-pairs unaffected by the storm. Travel-risk firm WorldAware urged companies to "expect cascading delays through at least 30 January as equipment and crews are repositioned."(kboi.com)
Practical implications for global-mobility teams are immediate. International assignees attempting to fly into U.S. hubs for orientation or I-9 onboarding should anticipate multi-day delays. Employers may need to extend temporary housing and adjust start dates, while immigration counsel warn that applicants with tight visa-activation windows should document airline cancellations in case grace-period extensions are required.
