Severe weather causes massive flight disruptions

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Thousands of flights in the U.S. have been canceled or delayed due to severe winter weather that has disrupted travel nationwide just days before Christmas.  

More than 966 flights in, out of and across the U.S. have been delayed as of Saturday morning, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Nearly 1,488 have been canceled, the data shows. 

On Friday, more than 10,415 flights were delayed and 5,732 were canceled.

An American Airlines plane is de-iced as high winds whip around 7.5 inches of new snow at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Thursday. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP / AP Images)

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On Thursday, more than 10,000 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were delayed, and more than 2,500 were canceled. On Wednesday, FlightAware reported more than 8,100 delayed flights.

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Travelers arrive for flights at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Dec. 16, 2022. (Scott Olson/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Southwest Airlines had the most disruptions of the major U.S. carriers, with 22% of its flights canceled and another 26% delayed as of 1 p.m. ET on Friday.

Roughly 54 million passengers are expected to depart from U.S airports over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period. Thursday and Friday have been projected as the busiest travel days of the year-end holiday period, with 3.34 million passengers scheduled to fly out each day, according to travel app Hopper. 

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Ice is removed from a United Airlines jet after a cold weather front moved into General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee on Thursday. (Mark Hoffman/USA Today Network via Reuters / Reuters Photos)

Forecasters have predicted that the bad weather consisting of heavy snow, ice and powerful winds is expected to hit various parts of the U.S. from the Plains and Midwest to the East Coast, as soon as Thursday. It's expected to last through Saturday, with a surge of arctic air to follow.

Southwest, American, United and Delta already issued travel waivers for various parts of the country in case a traveler's flight is disrupted. This means the change fee and any difference in fare for certain flights impacted by bad weather are waived by the airline. 

FOX Business' Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.