U.S. winter storm halts air travel as 10,000+ flights are canceled

A major winter storm caused widespread U.S. air travel disruption, with more than 10,000 flights canceled in a single day. LaGuardia, JFK, Philadelphia, and Reagan National reported exceptionally high cancellation rates. Airlines most affected included American, Delta, Southwest, United, and JetBlue. Recovery was expected to take days due to network-wide aircraft and crew repositioning and slow turnarounds from de-icing. Passengers were advised to rebook through their airline and were reminded they are entitled to refunds for canceled flights, including unused ancillary fees.

A powerful winter storm sweeping from the southern Rockies to New England caused widespread disruption to U.S. air travel, resulting in one of the worst single-day cancellation totals since the pandemic. More than 10,000 flights were canceled nationwide in a single day, with sources citing figures ranging from over 10,800 to about 11,600 cancellations.

Major Northeast hubs experienced especially high disruption. LaGuardia Airport canceled approximately 91% of flights, JFK around 80%, and Philadelphia International Airport about 94%. In Washington, D.C., Reagan National Airport effectively halted operations for the day, grounding roughly 420 departures. Additional hubs with significant impacts included Dallas–Fort Worth, Charlotte, and Atlanta.

Several large U.S. carriers were heavily affected. American Airlines canceled over 1,400 flights, roughly 45–46% of its schedule. Delta and Southwest each canceled more than 1,200 flights. United canceled between roughly 860 and 900 flights. JetBlue reported more than 570 cancellations, representing about 71% of its daily operations.

Operational recovery was expected to take time due to the scale of the disruption across airline networks. Repositioning aircraft and flight crews, alongside extended de-icing procedures, slowed turnarounds and complicated efforts to restore normal schedules.

Passengers were advised to contact their airlines as early as possible to rebook. Those already at the airport were encouraged to queue for customer service, while travelers off-site were directed to call or use online channels. Many carriers offered rebooking to later dates at no additional charge, subject to seat availability. Some airlines also provided options to move passengers onto partner carriers when possible.

Travelers were reminded that when a flight is canceled, they are entitled to a full refund, even for non-refundable tickets. Refunds also apply to unused ancillary purchases, such as baggage fees and seat upgrades.

This event led to a significant, system-wide interruption, with multiple key airports and airlines affected at once and a multi-day recovery likely as operations stabilized.