The coming winter storm is expected to make driving hazardous and also impact air travel.
Dozens of flights have been canceled at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and Hilton Head Island Airport, although the National Weather Service advises drivers to stay off the roads as rain and snow move into the area Saturday afternoon.
“It’s not good,” Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport spokesperson Lori Lehner told The Island Post and Beaufort Gazette on Saturday.
Savannah’s commercial airport serves coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina.
Lynah said that as of 12.30pm, 29 departing flights had been cancelled, and 33 arriving flights had been cancelled.
Lehner said decisions to cancel flights are made by the airlines, so passengers need to stay in touch with them for rescheduling information.
The airport said airlines are issuing travel exemptions and adjusting flight schedules as the situation changes. SAV advises passengers to confirm flight status with their airline before heading to the airport.
“My flight out of Chicago was canceled twice because Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport refused to take off in 40+ degree weather,” one passenger wrote Saturday morning. “It’s 14 degrees in Chicago! I want to go home!”
“We are sorry to hear that your flight has been cancelled,” the airport responded. “Please stay in touch with your airline as they, not the airport, make the decision on flight cancellations.”
The flight left in the morning, Lena said, but “I don’t think anything is going to happen this afternoon.”
Lynah said the storm impacted the larger airports of Atlanta and Charleston (CHS), as well as affecting flights at Savannah-Hilton Head Airport, noting that 34 departing flights and 39 arriving flights at CHS had been cancelled.
Two American Airlines flights from Charlotte to Hilton Head Island Airport were also canceled, according to the airport’s website. The airport is located directly on Hilton Head Island and is not part of the larger Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.
