Published on December 18, 2025
Thousands of Passengers were disrupted the United States as 2,034 flight delays and 104 cancellations were recorded. The most affected US airlines were Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and Alaska Airlines. Disruption was concentrated at Dallas–Fort Worth (127 delays, 1 cancellation), Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta (110 delays, 11 cancellations), Chicago O’Hare (128 delays, 3 cancellations), New York JFK (124 delays, 4 cancellations), Los Angeles International (108 delays, 3 cancellations), Denver International (66 delays, 3 cancellations), Seattle–Tacoma International (70 delays, 8 cancellations), Orlando International (48 delays, 5 cancellations), Houston Bush Intercontinental (68 delays, 6 cancellations), Billings Logan International (18 cancellations) and Hollywood Burbank (39 delays, 10 cancellations).

• Update today: 2,034 delays and 104 cancellations were recorded nationwide, with disruption concentrated at Chicago O’Hare, Dallas–Fort Worth, New York JFK, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.
• Delta Air Lines generated one of the highest delay totals, led by 73 delays in Atlanta and 20 at John F. Kennedy.
• American Airlines disruption was driven primarily by Dallas–Fort Worth (74 delays) and Chicago O’Hare (22), with regional partners adding further delays.
• United Airlines delays were most concentrated at Denver (16 delays) and Houston Bush Intercontinental (23), supported by United Express operations.
• Southwest Airlines recorded the highest cancellation intensity at smaller airports, including Hollywood Burbank (8 cancellations) and Las Vegas (2).
• JetBlue delays were heavily concentrated at New York JFK(35 delays), with secondary impacts at Orlando (7) and Las Vegas (3).
• Hollywood Burbank Airport stood out as one of the most cancellation-heavy airports relative to its size.

Most Affected US Airports by Cancellations and Delays

Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport

Dallas–Fort Worth recorded 127 delays, making it the most delay-affected airport in the dataset. Disruption was overwhelmingly delay-driven, largely tied to American Airlines and its regional affiliates, with only a single cancellation reported but persistent operational congestion.

Chicago O’Hare International Airport

Chicago O’Hare experienced 128 delays and 3 cancellations, reflecting intense hub congestion. United Airlines, American Airlines, and SkyWest accounted for the majority of delayed flights, with additional knock-on effects on transatlantic and Canadian routes.

John F. Kennedy International Airport

New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport logged 124 delays and 4 cancellations, with JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines leading delay counts. The airport also saw widespread international delay propagation across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport

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Atlanta recorded 110 delays and 11 cancellations, making it one of the most disrupted airports overall. Delta Air Lines and Endeavor Air dominated both delays and cancellations, consistent with Atlanta’s role as Delta’s primary global hub.

Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles saw 108 delays and 3 cancellations, with disruption spread across United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and multiple long-haul international carriers. Cargo and transpacific operations showed particularly high delay ratios.

Hollywood Burbank Airport

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Hollywood Burbank recorded 39 delays and 10 cancellations, one of the highest cancellation rates relative to total operations. Southwest Airlines and SkyWest were responsible for the majority of disruptions, highlighting the airport’s sensitivity to short-haul schedule compression.

Airlines Most Affected by US Flight Cancellations and Delays

Delta Air Lines

Delta recorded over 120 delays across the dataset, with major concentrations in Atlanta, John F. Kennedy, Los Angeles, Seattle–Tacoma, and Orlando. Despite high delay volume, cancellation levels remained comparatively moderate.

American Airlines

American Airlines logged more than 110 delays, driven primarily by Dallas–Fort Worth and Chicago O’Hare, with additional disruption at John F. Kennedy and Los Angeles. Regional partners PSA Airlines and Envoy Air added further delay pressure.

United Airlines

United Airlines accumulated over 70 mainline delays, with major impacts at Houston Bush Intercontinental, Denver, Chicago O’Hare, and Los Angeles. United Express carriers including SkyWest, Mesa Airlines, and CommuteAir significantly amplified overall disruption.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest recorded the highest cancellation concentration, particularly at Hollywood Burbank and Las Vegas, alongside substantial delays at Denver and Orlando. Its disruption profile skewed heavily toward regional and leisure-focused airports.

JetBlue

JetBlue delays were heavily centered at John F. Kennedy, where the airline recorded 35 delayed flights, with secondary impacts at Orlando and Las Vegas. No major cancellation clusters were observed.

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air

Alaska Airlines and its regional partner Horizon Air were most affected in the Pacific Northwest, with Seattle–Tacoma accounting for the majority of their delays and cancellations, alongside smaller impacts at Denver and Los Angeles.

How Travellers Were Impacted at Major Airports

• Travelers faced extended ground delays at major hubs due to aircraft and crew rotation issues.
• Missed connections increased at multi-bank hub airports, particularly during peak departure windows.
• Rebooking queues grew longer at regional airports with high cancellation ratios.
• International passengers experienced knock-on delays on long-haul routes, especially transatlantic and transpacific flights.
• Leisure-focused airports saw higher last-minute schedule changes, affecting return travel plans.

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Overview of US Flight Cancellations

US flight cancellations remained unevenly distributed, with sharp spikes at Hollywood Burbank, Seattle–Tacoma, Orlando, Houston Bush Intercontinental, and Billings Logan. Airlines most frequently associated with cancellations included Southwest Airlines, United Express partners, Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, Volaris, Aer Lingus UK, and Air France. Major hubs such as Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta, and New York John F. Kennedy were largely delay-driven rather than cancellation-heavy, reinforcing a pattern where large hub airports absorbed disruption through delays, while smaller regional airports experienced outright cancellations. This contrast highlights ongoing network strain across both domestic and international US air travel corridors.
Image Source: AI
Source: Different airports and FlightAware

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Tags: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines cancelled flights today, New York Airport, US flight cancellations today, US flight delays today

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