Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Southwest, United, Air Canada, American, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Austrian, Emirates, Lufthansa, Saudia, and more carriers were hit by another relentless wave of severe weather disruption, forcing over 5,600 flight delays and cancellations across major US airports including Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago O’Hare, New York’s LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark, Denver, Atlanta, and more. This latest nationwide air travel meltdown was driven by thunderstorms, heavy rain, and ground stops from Texas to the Northeast, affecting both domestic and international routes. With major players like Delta, JetBlue, Frontier, Spirit, Alaska, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, Swiss, KLM, and Republic also tangled in the chaos, operations crumbled at key hubs, stranding thousands of passengers, and extending a growing pattern of continuous, day-after-day flight disruptions across the country.
Dallas–Fort Worth International (DFW)
Dallas–Fort Worth saw one of the most significant impacts, with 502 delayed flights and 25 cancellations reported. American Airlines, which operates a major hub at DFW, suffered the brunt of the disruption with 296 delays and 20 cancellations, while regional carriers like Envoy Air and PSA Airlines also experienced considerable setbacks. Flights were stalled or grounded as thunderstorm systems swept across northern Texas, grounding operations and triggering ripple effects nationwide.
Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
In Chicago, O’Hare International Airport recorded 479 delays and 20 cancellations, paralyzing operations for both domestic and international travelers. United Airlines, headquartered in Chicago, reported 107 delays and one cancellation, while American Airlines faced 85 delays and 12 cancellations. International partners like Lufthansa, Emirates, and Air France were also affected, with several inbound transatlantic flights either delayed or forced to divert.
New York Metro Area – LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark
New York’s trio of airports—LaGuardia (LGA), John F. Kennedy (JFK), and Newark Liberty (EWR)—collectively experienced some of the worst disruptions. LaGuardia alone accounted for 397 delays and an astonishing 132 cancellations, making it the most heavily impacted airport of the day. Republic Airways, Endeavor Air, and American Airlines were among the worst hit.
JFK reported 334 delays and 41 cancellations, with JetBlue, American, and Delta among those struggling to maintain operations. Newark, a major hub for United, saw 298 delays and 73 cancellations, underscoring the severe gridlock along the East Coast. Weather conditions including thunderstorms and heavy winds reduced visibility and forced long ground stops throughout the day.
Denver International Airport (DEN)
In the Rockies, Denver International logged 318 delays and 5 cancellations, with United Airlines again heavily affected, experiencing 91 delays and 4 cancellations. Weather disturbances in the mountain region coupled with air traffic control slowdowns led to lengthy taxi times and departure backlogs.
Atlanta and Houston Hit Hard
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the nation’s busiest, recorded 332 delays and 11 cancellations, driven largely by storm systems pushing through the Southeast. Delta Air Lines, which maintains a major base there, faced 169 delays and 6 cancellations.
Meanwhile, Houston Bush Intercontinental saw 357 delays and 12 cancellations, with United and its affiliate CommuteAir experiencing major setbacks. Weather cells across Texas caused regional instability that impacted inbound and outbound flights throughout the day.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
In North Carolina, Charlotte Douglas International became another flashpoint in the countrywide disruption, reporting 281 delays and 16 cancellations. With American Airlines operating a massive hub there, the carrier alone experienced 174 delays and 9 cancellations. Smaller regional airlines like PSA Airlines, Piedmont, Endeavor Air, and Republic were all impacted by thunderstorms and low visibility. The ripple effect of these interruptions extended to connecting flights across the Southeast, straining aircraft and crew availability for onward travel.
Washington, D.C. Airports – Dulles and Reagan National
The nation’s capital wasn’t spared either. Washington Dulles International reported 174 delays and 8 cancellations, while Reagan National experienced 259 delays and a significant 58 cancellations. At Dulles, major carriers like United, Republic, and Mesa bore the brunt of the disruption, especially on routes serving New England and the Midwest.
At Reagan National, PSA Airlines recorded a stunning 38 cancellations, followed by Republic with 9 and GoJet with 4. Heavy rain and low cloud ceilings in the Mid-Atlantic region forced ground holds that lasted for hours.
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
Further north, Philadelphia International reported 299 delays and 63 cancellations, with regional affiliates of American Airlines — including Piedmont and PSA Airlines — facing the most pressure. Storm systems pushing up the Eastern Seaboard caused major bottlenecks. American alone accounted for 128 delays and 14 cancellations, making it one of the worst days for the carrier in the region.
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
In the Midwest, Detroit Metro logged 162 delays and 10 cancellations, with the majority affecting Delta Air Lines, Endeavor Air, and Spirit Airlines. Delta alone saw 45 delays, while its affiliate Endeavor endured 35. The slow-moving front that disrupted Chicago airspace also reached Detroit, leading to arrival sequencing and gate hold delays for inbound flights.
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
Boston Logan experienced 246 delays and 19 cancellations, significantly affecting JetBlue, American, and Republic. JetBlue recorded 62 delays, while American faced 32, many of them to and from Florida, which was dealing with its own weather turbulence. High winds off the coast and intermittent rain showers made takeoffs and landings difficult, especially for shorter routes.
Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
Indianapolis faced its own travel troubles, recording 58 delays and 16 cancellations. Republic and American Airlines were the hardest hit, with Republic alone reporting 10 cancellations and 17 delays. Given its role as a regional connector airport, delays here affected flight schedules across neighboring hubs.
Nashville International Airport (BNA)
Nashville experienced 121 delays and 13 cancellations, including full cancellations of all Piedmont flights for the day, and significant delays for American, Endeavor, and Southwest. Ongoing thunderstorm activity over central Tennessee caused temporary airport ground stops, further reducing aircraft flow.
Atlanta Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport (ATL)
Atlanta, the busiest airport in the country, posted 332 delays and 11 cancellations. Delta Air Lines — Atlanta’s home airline — had 169 delayed flights, the largest single-airline delay count of the day at any US airport. Frontier, JetBlue, and Spirit were also affected, with long taxi queues and inbound flight stacking due to lightning in the area.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Out west, Los Angeles International saw 240 delays and 9 cancellations. Airlines such as JetBlue, United, American, and Delta all suffered operational hiccups, but the weather impact here was indirect. Most delays stemmed from ripple effects caused by issues in East Coast and Midwest hubs. International carriers like Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, and China Airlines also faced outbound delays due to aircraft arriving late from affected regions.
Houston George Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
Houston Bush Intercontinental reported 357 delays and 12 cancellations, largely concentrated on United Airlines and its regional partner CommuteAir, which alone recorded 138 delays. Thunderstorms rolling across Southeast Texas disrupted runway flow, while lightning proximity paused ramp operations multiple times throughout the day.
LaGuardia and JFK: Two Ends of the Same Storm
At LaGuardia, conditions were brutal. 132 flights were cancelled, with major disruption to Republic Airways, Delta, and JetBlue. On top of that, 397 flights were delayed, pushing the airport’s operations to the edge. Just miles away, JFK Airport suffered 334 delays and 41 cancellations, heavily affecting JetBlue, Delta, and international operators such as Austrian, Emirates, Saudia, and Qatar Airways.
Airline Breakdown: Who Was Hit the Hardest?
Among US carriers, Southwest Airlines was particularly hard hit, with 103 delays in Denver, 27 in Atlanta, 29 at LaGuardia, 32 at Detroit, and dozens more spread across the country. United Airlines, operating out of multiple hubs including Chicago, Denver, Newark, and Houston, faced disruptions at nearly every major airport listed.
American Airlines, JetBlue, Spirit, Delta, and Frontier all suffered widespread delays, especially at congested hubs like Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Boston Logan. Even smaller carriers like Allegiant Air, Key Lime Air, and Southern Airways Express were not spared.
International airlines weren’t exempt either. Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Austrian Airlines, Emirates, Lufthansa, and Saudia all reported notable flight delays, particularly on transatlantic and transpacific routes passing through East Coast gateways. Delays and cancellations of inbound flights had cascading effects on their return legs, creating ripple disruptions across global routes.
The Ongoing Impact on Travelers
Travelers nationwide were left stranded, rerouted, or forced to wait hours at terminals as airlines scrambled to recover from operational backlogs. Many passengers reported waiting on the tarmac for extended periods, while others found their flights abruptly cancelled with limited rebooking options due to full capacity across alternate routes.
What makes this disruption especially frustrating is that it’s part of a continuous trend rather than an isolated incident. Over the past week, unpredictable weather patterns have caused daily instability in air travel, straining airline resources and airport operations alike. With summer travel season in full swing, the mounting delays and cancellations have left tens of thousands frustrated—and uncertain about their next departure.
Over 5,200 Flights Cancelled or Delayed Yesterday as Severe Weather Paralyzes US Airports
Yesterday, more than 5,200 flights were cancelled or delayed across the United States as a powerful wave of severe weather crippled operations at major airports including Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago O’Hare, JFK, Newark, LaGuardia, Boston Logan, Reagan National, Dulles, Detroit Metro, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Fort Lauderdale. Airlines such as Delta, American, United, JetBlue, and Spirit were forced to ground and postpone hundreds of flights due to intense thunderstorms, lightning, and widespread visibility issues that triggered FAA ground stops, traffic flow restrictions, and airport safety halts. The impact spread rapidly across the country, stranding passengers and overwhelming airline recovery operations. Regional carriers like PSA Airlines, Piedmont, Endeavor, and Republic were hit especially hard, as the storm system disrupted feeder routes into larger hubs, compounding the chaos throughout Sunday and into Monday morning.
Dallas–Fort Worth International (DFW)
- Delays: 502
- Cancellations: 25
- Key Airlines Affected:
- American Airlines: 296 delays, 20 cancellations
- Envoy Air: 82 delays
- PSA Airlines: 36 delays, 2 cancellations
- Frontier: 8 delays, 3 cancellations
- Cause: Thunderstorms and ramp closures disrupted one of American’s largest hubs, impacting both regional and long-haul routes.
Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
- Delays: 479
- Cancellations: 20
- Key Airlines Affected:
- United Airlines: 107 delays, 1 cancellation
- American Airlines: 85 delays, 12 cancellations
- Delta: 12 delays, 2 cancellations
- Republic: 25 delays
- Cause: Widespread weather and air traffic control delays affected departures and arrivals across the Midwest.
New York LaGuardia (LGA)
- Delays: 397
- Cancellations: 132
- Key Airlines Affected:
- Republic Airways: 120 delays, 59 cancellations
- Endeavor Air: 79 delays, 25 cancellations
- Delta: 66 delays, 12 cancellations
- American Airlines: 42 delays, 8 cancellations
- Cause: Severe congestion, weather-related delays, and airspace restrictions overwhelmed LaGuardia’s limited runway capacity.
Denver International (DEN)
- Delays: 318
- Cancellations: 5
- Key Airlines Affected:
- United Airlines: 91 delays, 4 cancellations
- Southwest: 103 delays
- SkyWest: 74 delays
- Cause: Afternoon thunderstorms over the Rockies and airspace traffic saturation led to lengthy delays and taxi holds.
John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
- Delays: 334
- Cancellations: 41
- Key Airlines Affected:
- JetBlue: 108 delays, 1 cancellation
- Endeavor Air: 32 delays, 23 cancellations
- Republic: 23 delays, 13 cancellations
- American Airlines: 37 delays, 4 cancellations
- Cause: Incoming weather systems from the Atlantic and congested runway schedules caused ripple delays on transatlantic flights.
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
- Delays: 332
- Cancellations: 11
- Key Airlines Affected:
- Delta Air Lines: 169 delays, 6 cancellations
- Frontier: 54 delays, 3 cancellations
- Cause: Heavy thunderstorms and lightning across the Southeast led to ground delays and intermittent takeoff holds.
Philadelphia International (PHL)
- Delays: 299
- Cancellations: 63
- Key Airlines Affected:
- American Airlines: 128 delays, 14 cancellations
- PSA Airlines: 38 delays, 11 cancellations
- Piedmont: 53 delays, 29 cancellations
- Cause: Low cloud cover and storms in the Mid-Atlantic region heavily impacted East Coast operations.
Newark Liberty International (EWR)
- Delays: 298
- Cancellations: 73
- Key Airlines Affected:
- United Airlines: 162 delays, 11 cancellations
- Republic Airways: 27 delays, 26 cancellations
- GoJet: 15 delays, 15 cancellations
- Cause: Weather in the Northeast and equipment constraints triggered cascading delays across inbound flights.
Reagan National (DCA)
- Delays: 259
- Cancellations: 58
- Key Airlines Affected:
- PSA Airlines: 90 delays, 38 cancellations
- American Airlines: 49 delays, 4 cancellations
- Republic: 37 delays, 9 cancellations
- Cause: Lightning proximity and saturation of airspace surrounding D.C. restricted aircraft movement significantly.
Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)
- Delays: 281
- Cancellations: 16
- Key Airlines Affected:
- American Airlines: 174 delays, 9 cancellations
- Piedmont Airlines: 38 delays
- PSA Airlines: 21 delays, 1 cancellation
- Cause: Weather bands moving through the Southeast severely impacted American’s key hub in Charlotte.
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
- Delays: 162
- Cancellations: 10
- Key Airlines Affected:
- Delta Air Lines: 45 delays, 2 cancellations
- Endeavor Air: 35 delays
- Spirit Airlines: 15 delays, 4 cancellations
- Cause: Air traffic holding patterns and Midwest weather cell activity disrupted flight flow.
Boston Logan International (BOS)
- Delays: 246
- Cancellations: 19
- Key Airlines Affected:
- JetBlue: 62 delays, 1 cancellation
- Republic: 30 delays, 14 cancellations
- American Airlines: 32 delays, 2 cancellations
- Cause: Sea breeze front collisions and coastal fog created operational slowdowns and equipment imbalances.
Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
- Delays: 357
- Cancellations: 12
- Key Airlines Affected:
- United Airlines: 138 delays, 3 cancellations
- CommuteAir: 70 delays, 6 cancellations
- Mesa Airlines: 49 delays, 2 cancellations
- Cause: Thunderstorms over eastern Texas and crew displacements triggered major delays.
Indianapolis International (IND)
- Delays: 58
- Cancellations: 16
- Key Airlines Affected:
- Republic: 17 delays, 10 cancellations
- American Airlines: 9 delays, 5 cancellations
- Cause: Weather in surrounding regions caused backlogs in regional carrier scheduling.
Los Angeles International (LAX)
- Delays: 240
- Cancellations: 9
- Key Airlines Affected:
- JetBlue: 20 delays, 1 cancellation
- United Airlines: 24 delays, 1 cancellation
- Southwest: 24 delays
- Cause: Indirect impact from nationwide weather delays disrupted long-haul and connecting flights.
Nashville International (BNA)
- Delays: 121
- Cancellations: 13
- Key Airlines Affected:
- American Airlines: 17 delays, 3 cancellations
- Republic: 7 delays, 4 cancellations
- Cause: Storm activity and ripple effects from affected hubs in the Midwest and Northeast.
Southwest, United, Air Canada, American, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Austrian, Emirates, Lufthansa, Saudia, and more were slammed by another day of continuous flight chaos as severe weather triggered over 5,600 delays and cancellations across major US airports including Dallas, Chicago, New York, Denver, and Atlanta. Thunderstorms, heavy rain, and airport ground stops crippled airline operations nationwide, fueling the latest wave of widespread travel disruption.
Looking Ahead
With no immediate relief from the weather forecasted and demand for travel at summer peak levels, airlines are warning of more possible disruptions in the coming days. Carriers are advising passengers to check flight statuses frequently, allow extra time at airports, and consider flexible travel plans where possible.
From Dallas and Chicago to New York and Denver, air travel across the United States continues to struggle under the weight of continuous flight chaos—where one day of severe weather now leads to days of logistical fallout for airlines and passengers alike.
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Tags: Air Canada, Airline News, American, Austrian, Chicago, Dallas, Emirates, japan, lufthansa, New York, QATAR, Saudia, southwest, travel industry, Travel News, United, US
