SANTO DOMINGO – The winter storm identified by meteorologists as Fern has caused one of the biggest disruptions to the U.S. civil aviation system in years, with direct consequences for air connectivity between the United States and the Dominican Republic.
Aeropuertos Dominicanos del Siglo XXI (Aerodom) reported that approximately 26 scheduled flights to and from the Dominican Republic have been canceled as a result of the winter storm in the United States.
These cancellations occurred primarily between Friday and Saturday and affected routes operated by JetBlue and Delta Air Lines, originating from or destined for hubs heavily impacted by the severe weather, such as JFK (New York), EWR (Newark), and MCO (Orlando).
Official tracking data shows that more than 10,000 flights have been canceled in the United States since Saturday, January 24, as the weather system moved from the Rocky Mountains to New England, leaving snow, freezing rain, ice accumulation, and extremely low temperatures.
Although the storm is not directly affecting Dominican territory, its extent and severity have had a significant impact on routes connecting the Dominican Republic with the United States, particularly flights that rely on U.S. air hubs such as Miami (MIA), Atlanta (ATL), New York (JFK/EWR), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), and Boston (BOS).
These hubs are regular routes for flights to and from Dominican airports, primarily Santo Domingo (SDQ) and Punta Cana (PUJ), and previous cancellations of domestic flights have created a ripple effect impacting international connections.
Airlines have reported that domestic cancellations are reducing the availability of crews and aircraft for scheduled departures to the Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic.
The storm
The cancellations are the result of conditions that have forced airports to close runways and airlines to suspend operations for safety reasons.
According to reports from FlightAware, one of the most widely used international flight trackers, more than 3,250 flights scheduled for Saturday were canceled, and more than 5,900 flights scheduled for Sunday were also canceled, bringing the total to over 9,000 canceled flights over the weekend alone. Some reports suggest even higher figures depending on Monday's projections.
An early manifestation of this indirect impact was seen at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan (SJU), Puerto Rico, where at least 14 flights were canceled on Saturday due to the approaching U.S. winter storm, affecting more than 1,800 passengers on routes connecting to states such as Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Maryland.
This indicates the potential impact that phenomena of this magnitude can have on regional and Caribbean routes.
Meteorological context and expected duration
Tropical Storm Fern has affected more than 30 US states and put hundreds of millions of people on alert, with snow accumulations exceeding 30 centimeters in some particularly hard-hit areas.
Official weather forecasts indicate that adverse conditions of snow, persistent ice, and sub-zero temperatures will continue at least until Monday, January 26, and the presence of ice on airport runways could prolong the effects of cancellations, delays, and operational limitations even beyond that date.
Repercussions and recommendations
For passengers with flights between the Dominican Republic and the United States during this period, aviation authorities and airlines have issued flexible policies allowing itinerary changes without penalty and refunds, given the uncertainty caused by the weather system.
It is recommended to check flight status directly with the airline or departure airport; consider rescheduling trips planned between January 23 and 27, the period in which the storm's greatest impact is expected; and explore alternative options or flights with different routes that do not rely on severely affected hubs.
