Augusta, GA

Augusta flight cancellations mount as ice storm approaches

Published

5 months ago

January 24, 2026

Augusta flight cancellations mount as ice storm approaches

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Airlines are delaying and canceling flights as a massive ice storm closes in on Georgia this weekend.

The airline snags are affecting not only Augusta Regional Airport but also Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest, and one that most local fliers pass through.

In Augusta

While the cancellations at Augusta Regional Airport weren’t in the hundreds like Atlanta, they’re substantial.

CANCELED ARRIVALS

American Flight 3462 from Dallas-Fort Worth (scheduled for 3:57 p.m. Saturday)
American Flight 5896 from Charlotte (scheduled for 6:44 p.m. Saturday)
Delta Flight 5477 from Atlanta (scheduled for 11:38 p.m. Saturday)
American Flight 5848 from Charlotte (scheduled for 11:48 p.m. Saturday)

CANCELED DEPARTURES

Delta Flight 5504 to Atlanta (scheduled for 5:12 p.m. Saturday)
American Flight 5898 to Charlotte (scheduled for 7:09 p.m. Saturday)
Delta Flight 5514 to Atlanta (scheduled for 5:45 a.m. Sunday)
American Flight 5042 to Washington, D.C. (scheduled for 6 a.m. Sunday)
Delta Flight 365 to Atlanta (scheduled for 6:50 a.m. Sunday)
American Flight 3668 to Dallas-Fort Worth (scheduled for 7:08 a.m. Sunday)
American Flight 5847 to Charlotte (scheduled for 8:08 a.m. Sunday)

In Atlanta

The world’s busiest airport has been even busier behind the scenes as crews prepare for the winter weather heading into Georgia on Saturday night.

The storm has already affected flights nationwide. According to FlightAware, more than 4,200 flights have been cancelled nationwide on Saturday. On Sunday, that number hits 9,000 — including more than 1,000 into and out of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport brined the runways as an ice storm approached. (WANF)

Some passengers have already made arrangements to switch their flights to get ahead of the storm.

Mark Nevle said his daughter and about 30 other students from Blessed Kennedy Catholic High School are on their way back from March for Life in Washington, D.C.

“They were originally supposed to come back tomorrow, but the school had the foresight and good planning to change all the flights and get them back here today,” he said. “We were laughing, we were looking at the weather map, and you can see their flight coming in right next to the big storm that’s moving in.”

He said he’s glad to see their school being proactive, especially after the storm Atlanta saw back in 2014.

“I think when we were all here for ‘Snow-Palooza’ X number of years ago, I think everybody is a little more proactive now in what they do,” he said. “You put everything in God’s hands that everything is gonna work out fine. Get these kids home safe and sound.”

Delta offers flexibility

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, Augusta’s primary carrier, said winter storm waivers remain in effect through Monday. These provide flexibility for customers to adjust their travel plans at no additional cost in the Delta app or at Delta.com.

Delta works to give customers as much notice as possible about changes to their flights and is taking proactive actions to minimize disruption and aid in recovery efforts:

Enacting flight cancelations well in advance of scheduled departures to allow customers more time and flexibility while away from airports.
Adjusting staffing levels with additional reserve pilots and flight attendants, as well as relocating experts from cold weather hubs to support deicing and baggage teams at several Southern airports.
Placing aircraft out of frozen precipitation, where possible, to aid in faster recovery efforts. Once conditions improve, aircraft will be repositioned to resume scheduled flying.

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Customers have options if their flight is significantly delayed or canceled.

Delta automatically rebooks customers to the next best itinerary, and customers can make further changes via the Delta app and Delta.com.

Additional guidance includes:

Customers who experience a cancellation and are not automatically rebooked should promptly contact Delta either at the airport or by reaching out to our Reservations team by phone or the Message Us option on the app, to identify alternative flight options.
Customers traveling on a U.S. domestic itinerary who experience a flight delay of three hours or more and choose not to fly — either on the original delayed flight or on a rebooked itinerary — are entitled to receive a full refund for the unflown portion of their ticket (including any ancillary fees paid or checked baggage charges). The same refund eligibility applies if a customer experiences a flight delay of six hours or more on an international itinerary and chooses not to fly.
If a flight is canceled and the customer chooses not to fly on their rebooked itinerary, Delta will initiate a full, automatic refund back to the original form of payment of the unflown portion of the ticket, following a 24-hour waiting period.
Per Department of Transportation automatic refund requirements, Delta will initiate an automatic ticket refund of the unflown portion of the ticket if we are unable to rebook the trip and have not heard from the customer to arrange an alternative flight.

More information can be found on the refund and reimbursement section of Delta.com .

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Augusta, GA

Augusta CSRA Habitat for Humanity hosts third annual Build the Band benefit

Published

6 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Press Room

Augusta CSRA Habitat for Humanity hosts third annual Build the Band benefit

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta CSRA Habitat for Humanity hosted its third annual Build the Band benefit Saturday at Miller Theater, with Morning Mix’s Cliff Bennett serving as host.

Audience members were able to vote on the best performance of the evening.

Bernadette Kelliher, CEO of Augusta CSRA Habitat for Humanity, said the event aims to match last year’s fundraising total.

“Well, when you stay and watch it, you’re going to see exactly what makes it, but it’s the talent. It’s the celebrating local. It’s the getting the word out. It’s the past years where we raised over $100,000 last year. If we can do the same this year, we’re going to put those years together, and we’re going to build the house the band built. And we are so excited about that,” Kelliher said.

The event came as Habitat for Humanity broke ground on its 88th home on Friday, marking 40 years of service to the community.

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Augusta, GA

Augusta YMCA hosts grocery giveaway, serves 150 families in first hour

Published

16 hours ago

June 27, 2026

Press Room

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The YMCA held a grocery drive-through giveaway Saturday at its Claussen Road location in Augusta.

The YMCA said it handed out groceries to around 150 families in the first hour of the event.

The organization also serves around 1,200 children in the area through its summer programs.

Cheryl Wirt, CFO of YMCA Augusta, said the need has increased this summer as the organization expands its reach into rural areas.

“During the summer, we will get food boxes from Golden Harvest for families with kids, and we take that out to the communities,” Wirt said. “We go as far as Washington-Wilkes and Warren and Thomson. We will get on our feeding vans and get those boxes out to the communities, get families to fill out a form, and they get a box of food.”

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Augusta, GA

Richmond County elections board seeks dismissal of Myles election challenge

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2026

Press Room

Richmond County elections board seeks dismissal of Myles election challenge

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Board of Elections has filed its official response to the complaint Lori Myles filed over the May 19 Augusta mayoral election.

As part of the legal process, the board has asked the court to dismiss the case and has filed its response to the claims.

The announcement came after the board met in executive session during a special called meeting Monday.

Myles is pushing for a recount. Her lawsuit claims 18,353 absentee votes are missing and alleges voter suppression.

Lawsuit details

Lori Myles filed the lawsuit in Richmond County Superior Court challenging the handling of the May 19 election, alleging missing absentee votes and errors tied to how results were reported, according to court records.

In the complaint filed on May 28, Myles alleges election officials mishandled voting information and election materials and claims the election returns were inaccurate.

Among the allegations, the filing claims that absentee-voter records were mishandled and that there were 18,353 missing absentee votes.

“I believe that ‘my votes, and your votes’ were stolen, erased, and strategically ‘voter suppressed,’” Myles said in lawsuit documents.

Defendants in the lawsuit include Richmond County Board of Elections Director Travis Doss, the Augusta Commission, members of Augusta’s elections board and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Allegations and relief sought

Myles also points to what she describes as polling-place reporting issues, repeatedly questioning why Diamond Lakes is not listed among polling locations and results on Augusta’s election website.

The complaint requests a recount and recanvass and references the pursuit of open-records requests. It also calls for additional verification measures, including rescanning ballots and scrutiny of QR code tabulation, as part of the relief sought.

Myles wrote that she plans to submit a voter-signature petition in support of her challenge.

Results posted on Augusta’s election website for the May 19 contest show Johnson leading with 16,313 votes, or 42.8%, followed by Kendrick with 13,531, or 35.5%, Eric Gaines with 5,442, or 14.3%, and Myles with 2,838, or 7.5%.

What the elections board is now arguing in court

In a combined motion to dismiss and answer filed June 23, the Richmond County Board of Elections asked a judge to dismiss the case “with prejudice,” arguing Myles’ election contest was filed one day past Georgia’s five-day deadline after certification and is therefore time-barred and outside the court’s jurisdiction, according to the filing.

The board said the election results were certified May 22 and the statutory deadline to contest them was May 27, but Myles filed May 28, the motion states.

The board also argued Myles’ request to have 18,353 allegedly missing absentee votes added to her total is not a remedy available under Georgia law, saying courts can order recount-related relief but cannot assign unidentified votes to a candidate.

The filing argues Myles failed to meet election-contest requirements because she did not properly join and serve the other candidates in the race and did not follow the statute requiring expedited “special process” in election challenges, the motion states.

The motion also says Myles’ filing was not verified by affidavit, which the board argues is a mandatory requirement for an election contest petition under Georgia law.

The board asked the court to dismiss Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as a defendant, arguing he is not a proper party in a local election contest and that official-capacity claims implicate sovereign immunity.

The board also asked for attorney’s fees and costs, arguing the lawsuit lacks substantial justification and noting Myles references filing five prior election-related cases in Richmond County that were dismissed, according to the motion.

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