Airlines brace for winter weather to snarl holiday travel

Severe winter weather has stranded travelers in Iceland after airline Icelandair canceled flights on Tuesday morning.

Icelandair leaders say they’re working to rebook all passengers on new flights in the next couple days.

Hot, sunny Thursday on tap ahead of Level 1 risk for severe storms Friday

In a statement, Icelandair said, “Rest assured that we are doing our absolute best to get all our passengers where they need to be before Christmas.”

“Airlines basically say, ‘Look guys, it’s not our fault,’” said Kyle Potter, the executive editor of travel and flight deals website Thrifty Traveler.

Potter encourages people with flights booked for the next few days to check with their airline about a "weather waiver.”

“It’s really an opportunity for people to get where they need to go without paying a hefty, hefty fee before this bad weather sweeps through,” Potter said.

The busy holiday season harkens back to the summer vacation rush, when more than 45,000 flights were canceled.

Potter said the airlines are better staffed now than they were then, but we'll have to wait and see how they recover after this first major winter storm.

“This is going to be a big test, I think, and I think travelers across the nation are going to have to hope for the best but prepare for the worst,” Potter said.