Today was a rough day for U.S. travelers thanks to severe weather. At 12pm ET, there were over 1,600 canceled flights. It’s now 10:30pm ET and there are a whopping 2,400 flights canceled to, from or within the US according to FlightAware. There’s almost quadruple the number of delayed flights with 8,816. RELATED: Here’s what to do in weather delays and flight cancelations
In the FlightAware screenshot below, you can see the culprits are mostly East Coast airports: LaGuardia (LGA), Charlotte/Douglas Intl (CLT), Miami Intl (MIA), Newark Liberty Intl (EWR), Boston Logan Intl (BOS), John F Kennedy Intl (JFK), Orlando Intl (MCO), Philadelphia Intl (PHL), Dallas-Fort Worth Intl (DFW), Reagan National (DCA), Chicago O’Hare Intl (ORD), Tampa Intl (TPA), Hartsfield-Jackson Intl (ATL), Fort Lauderdale Intl (FLL) and Detroit Metro Wayne Co (DTW) round out the top 15.
Most of the airlines are offering travel waivers because of the severe weather. Below is what United Airlines’ travel waiver looks like:
East Coast Severe Weather
Sunday, August 4:
• Baltimore, MD (BWI)
• New York/Newark, NJ (EWR)
• New York-Kennedy, NY (JFK)
• New York-LaGuardia, NY (LGA)
• Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
• Washington, DC – Dulles (IAD)
• Washington-National, DC (DCA)
They’ve also just added one for Tuesday, August 6 for these airports:
- New York/Newark, NJ (EWR)
- New York-Kennedy, NY (JFK)
- New York-LaGuardia, NY (LGA)
- Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
Tropical Depression 4
United Airlines also issued a travel waiver for Florida, thanks to the tropical depression. This waiver is for today through tomorrow (Monday. August 5). These travel waivers allow for voluntary changes for travel to, from or through the airports listed.
• Ft. Myers, FL (RSW)
• Key West, FL (EYW)
• Sarasota, FL (SRQ)
• Tampa, FL (TPA)
Tropical Storm Debby
United Airlines also issued a travel waiver for Florida, thanks to Tropical Storm Debby. This waiver is for Sunday, August 4 through Monday. August 5. But then they just added another waiver for the airports below for Monday, August 5 through Wednesday, August 7:
- Charleston, SC (CHS)
- Columbia, SC (CAE)
- Hilton Head Island, SC (HHH)
- Jacksonville, FL (JAX)
- Myrtle Beach, SC (MYR)
- Savannah, GA (SAV)
- Wilmington, NC (ILM)
All of these travel waivers allow for voluntary changes for travel to, from or through the airports.
The problem is that this summer has seen a record number of travelers. To give you an idea, Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson, shared on social media that all of the top 10 days in the TSA’s 22-year history have happened in the last 8 weeks! “You’re not imagining it–it really is more crowded in airports this summer!”
BREAKING NEWS: Yesterday was the 3rd busiest day in @TSA‘s 22-year history. Look at this Top 10 list and what do you see? All of the Top 10 days have happened in the last 8 weeks. You’re not imagining it–it really is more crowded in airports this summer! https://t.co/642ZA1dXAl
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) July 19, 2024
I had an American Airlines (AA) flight for me and my family to fly from L.A. to Toronto via Chicago (ORD) tonight. I found a great deal yesterday using miles to fly first class. But this morning, I woke up to a message from AA saying that they canceled our LAX-ORD flight and rebooked us.
Our rebooked flight was for tomorrow going through Nashville and Charlotte and the first flight was in economy. We decided to bag the trip since it’s way too long of a travel day for our two little kids (ages 4 and 7). Actually, it’s way too long for anyone, especially for what is, nonstop, a five-hour flight. Plus, the deal was no longer a good one.
But after looking at my Threads feed, I realized we were lucky. First of all, American notified us far in advance, which is greatly appreciated so we weren’t stuck in a crowded airport with no chance of getting out or possibly even finding accommodations. Take a look at some of these posts from travelers of the U.S. major airlines in the last 24 hours:
@andrh1a: lol our flight to Orlando was canceled and Delta wants us to pay $422 per person to keep just the flight back if we drive down…They can’t rebook us until the 6th…
Post by @andrh1aView on Threads
@dewgirl99: Dragged myself out of bed at 330 am for a 630 flight. Arrive at airport at 500 am to find that my flight has been cancelled. Still no notification from Delta. Zero notifications still. Delta customer service continues to devolve. Deltaairlines
Post by @dewgirl99View on Threads
@renee.diresta: After @americanair canceled multiple flights at ORD, hundreds of people waited in line for rebooking. But then customer service decided to go home for the night at 11pm. They didn’t tell people if they were eligible for hotels— they suggested they book & then file for reimbursement (for up to $200 — but it’s Lollapalooza here 😂 ). They just stopped rebooking ppl to go home so now hundreds are just sitting around the gates trying to get through on text (not working) or phone (hourlong hold times)
Post by @renee.direstaView on Threads
@sergio_fl0res_: @americanair I paid for my ticket like everybody else and to be put on standby with 85 people to Chicago and travel agencies even oversold the flight. No one is going home. Most flights to Chicago are cancelled because of the “weather” There was no room to dock the plane when my flight arrived and because of low staff in Miami international airport I missed my flight.. Nothing is being solved and the line is so long it’s not even moving. Americanairlines
Post by @sergio_fl0res_View on Threads
@michaeldodds1981: I won’t be leaving JFK until Tuesday morning. I never experienced anything like this and I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do in an airport terminal for 2 days and 2 nights. 😭
Post by @michaeldodds1981View on Threads
@Craigipedia: I really like how @united has kept us all trapped in this airport for +7 hours delaying the flight 15-35 minutes at a time so they can avoid paying for hotel rooms for a cancelled or rescheduled flight. Very clever.
Post by @craigipediaView on Threads
@heyitsanika: not only did @americanair cancel my flight with no options out of Chicago until TUESDAY, I’ve been on hold for over two hours and have also gotten nowhere with the chat. absolutely unacceptable for a 48-hour disruption Travel Threads
Post by @heyitsanikaView on Threads
Unfortunately, as you can tell from the travel waivers that are lasting through Wednesday, this mess isn’t going to be over anytime soon. So unless you really need to go somewhere, take the airlines up on changing your flight for later in the week (or better yet, next week) when hopefully, the airlines will be able to get their schedules back in order.
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