US Travel Chaos Continues as Airlines Try to Restore Flights

Travelers are bracing for extended disruptions to start the working week in the US as airlines try to get their schedules back on track following an intense winter storm that saw the most flight cancellations since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nearly 3,900 flights were canceled on Monday as of 9 a.m. New York time, according to FlightAware. That follows the roughly 11,600 cancellations on Sunday, which bore the brunt of disruptions as the worst storm in years coated vast stretches of the US South and Mid-Atlantic in ice, and effectively shut down some of the country’s busiest aviation hubs.

More than a dozen flights departing the UK for the US have been canceled on Monday so far, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Airlines have also scrapped 10 flights arriving into UK airports from the US, with the disruptions likely to rise as the day progresses.

Cancellations were heaviest at major Northeast airports on Monday. Boston Logan International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport had more than half of departures scrapped.

Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport also saw widespread disruptions, with roughly 45% and 43% of flights canceled, respectively, while more than a third of scheduled departures were called off at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Cirium data show.

The Federal Aviation Authority hopes to return to a normal flight schedule on Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on CNBC. He warned of “significant disruptions” on Monday.

Airlines have said they’re aiming to get back up and running swiftly, but they’ll face challenges from the ongoing adverse weather. Lingering frigid temperatures and icy conditions at airports, as well as on roads and highways, will cause treacherous conditions for staff and travelers. Planes and crews are also likely to be in incorrect locations, making the resumption of a normal schedule more difficult.

American Airlines Group Inc. canceled nearly 1,200 flights Monday, roughly 22% of its total scheduled trips, according to Cirium data as of 8:20 a.m. New York time. Delta Air Lines Inc. and United Airlines Holdings Inc. canceled 721 and 604 respectively, and JetBlue Airways Corp. canceled 348 flights — over half of its Monday schedule.

United said it will begin restoring operations Monday, though some areas will face residual impacts from cold and icy conditions. New York-based JetBlue, which scrapped more than 70% of its flights on Sunday, will work toward resuming its normal schedule once the storm passes, and plans to mount additional flights to assist customers.

Delta said freezing and wet conditions at some airports in the Northeast may impact flights Monday morning, though flights at stations in Ohio and Tennessee Valley began to slowly resume on Sunday evening.

The Weather Prediction Center has warned that extremely cold air following the storm will prolong dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts through the week.

Sunday marked the highest number of cancellations since the early days of the pandemic, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. There were 22,751 flights scheduled for March 30, 2020, with 12,143 cancellations.

Top photo: A snow-covered passenger jet at LaGuardia Airport in New York, on Jan. 25. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg.