US travel chaos set to linger as airlines try to restore flights following intense winter storm

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 Covid.

Around 3,500 flights were canceled on Monday as of 1:30 a.m. New York time, according to FlightAware. That’s down from 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.

By mid-morning on Sunday, more than 80% of departures were canceled at Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airport, while Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport topped 90% cancellations, Cirium data show.


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.

United Airlines Holdings Inc. said it will begin restoring operations Monday, though some areas will face residual impacts from cold and icy conditions. JetBlue Airways Corp., 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 Air Lines Inc. 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.

While the storm is starting to push out of the US, the Weather Prediction Center has warned that extremely cold air following the system will prolong dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts through the week. Widespread heavy snow will continue across the Northeast, while sleet and freezing rain will impact portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, it said.

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