Airlines waive fees, pre-emptively cancel Thursday flights

The calendar may say "autumn," but air travellers in the Midwest and Northeast are set to get an early taste of winter. More than 30 Thursday flights have been pre-emptively cancelled in St. Louis, where up to 8 inches of snow were possible. Most of the cancellations there appeared to be on Southwest, according to data from FlightAware. A Southwest spokeswoman confirmed the cancellations, saying the carrier grounded "a couple of dozen flights tomorrow ahead of the inclement weather we’re expecting." The airline also cancelled seven Wednesday-evening flights to St. Louis where the aircraft were to have spent the night there. Chicago Midway, Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio, were among other Midwest airports where FlightAware showed a smattering of cancellations for Thursday. Messy weather also was forecast for the Northeast, where a mix of snow, ice and rain could strike from the mid-Atlantic north into New England. Story has waiver details.<br/>