United Continental Holdings Inc. suspended its entire regional operation and all mainland flights out of Houston to non-hub airports around the country as Hurricane Harvey lashed southeast Texas, the airline said in a statement Saturday.
More than 1,000 flights had been canceled and another 1,259 delayed nationwide as of 3:04 p.m. Eastern time Saturday, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.
United’s cancellations, including the entire United Express operation, came after the airline on Friday suspended operations at Corpus Christi, McAllen-Miller and Valley International airports in Texas. United is more affected than other carriers because of reliance on its Houston hub.
“We plan to continue operating flights from Houston to our hubs and most international destinations,” Charles Hobart, a spokesman for the company, said in a statement. He said the airline extended its travel waiver to provide travelers with more flexibility.
Southwest Airlines Co. is operating at about half of its usual schedule at Houston’s Hobby airport, and those in Austin and San Antonio, this weekend. A customer travel advisory offering added flexibility to flight changes for Austin, Corpus Christi, Houston-Hobby, and San Antonio is in effect through September 1, according to Melissa Ford, a spokeswoman for the airline.
