United Airlines expected more delays and cancellations Tuesday and Wednesday as a Rocky Mountain snowstorm pushed into its network, prompting a travel alert for flights on May 6, 2026, at seven major U.S. airports. Denver International Airport was among the airports covered, and two airports in Wyoming were also eligible for flexible rebooking.
The airline said passengers whose tickets were purchased on or before May 3, 2026 could rebook without paying change fees or fare differences, as long as the new trip was on a United flight departing between May 3, 2026 and May 9, 2026, in the same cabin and between the same cities. That relief came as the Colorado Department of Transportation warned of heavy spring snow on Tuesday and Wednesday, with difficult travel expected in the high foothills and mountain corridors.
United’s alert was tied to a broader winter weather system bearing down on the Rocky Mountains, where fast-changing conditions were expected to make travel difficult through the middle of the week. The airline highlighted Denver International Airport as one of its major hubs and one of its fastest-growing hubs, putting it squarely in the path of the disruption.
Colorado transportation officials said the storm could turn wet pavement into slushy, hazardous roads early in the week, especially along the I-70 Mountain Corridor and in Larimer and Boulder counties. They said heavy banded snowfall was expected to expand south across the Palmer Divide by Tuesday night, with conditions likely to peak during the Wednesday morning commute before improving Wednesday afternoon.
The gap between the airline’s flexibility and the weather threat is what travelers will feel most: United is giving people a narrow rebooking window, but the storm itself is concentrated on the same days many passengers are likely trying to move. The source said the carrier had not seen significant cancellations in recent days before the expected disruption, a reminder that this is a weather-driven shakeup rather than a lingering operational problem.
For travelers caught in the middle, the message is simple: check plans now, because the snow is arriving as the airline’s busiest recovery options are still open. The flight changes are not open-ended, and the storm’s worst effects are expected when the Wednesday commute begins.
