Rough air travel ahead: At least 900 flights canceled Sunday, worst may be yet to come

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information.

Air travel got off to a smooth start this long weekend, but it didn’t last long.

By the early morning hours of Sunday, airlines began to preemptively cancel flights ahead of expected snow in the Northeast. Further disruptions were possible Monday and Tuesday in the Deep South thanks to a second winter storm, this one a potential whopper brewing off the Texas coast.

First up, though, was the threat of wintry weather in the Northeast.

Airlines had preemptively canceled nearly 950 flights as of 11:45 a.m. EST on Sunday, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.  Many of those cancellations affected flyers in the New York, Washington and Boston metro areas. Nearly three dozen Monday flights had already been canceled, as well.

Leading the pack of Sunday cancellations: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), where more than 115 departures had been canceled — about a fifth of the airport’s entire daily schedule, per FlightAware.

New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) was No. 2, also with around 20% of Sunday’s scheduled flights scrapped.

Weather conditions have caused LGA Airport flight disruptions. Check with your airline to determine the status of your flight.

— LaGuardia Airport (@LGAairport) January 19, 2025

Leading the way in cancellations among airlines was Republic Airways, with more than 200 flights canceled. Republic is a regional airline that operates American Eagle-, United Express- and Delta Connection-branded flights for the larger network carriers.

JetBlue, which has a significant presence in the Northeast, had canceled more than a fifth of its scheduled flights Sunday by mid-day.

More cancellations and delays are likely Sunday as conditions worsen.

What’s more, disruptions could continue into next week from the second of a one-two punch to air travel. That second storm could hit during the early part of the week. Already, airports in the Deep South have begun to warn of the potential winter blast, which could wreak havoc in parts of the country that seldom see snow.

That included the possibility of snow and/or ice from Texas along the Gulf Coast into northern Florida — and then perhaps north across megahubs in Atlanta and Charlotte by Tuesday.

Weekend flight cancellations begin, more likely

The long weekend got off to a smooth start for most air travelers, with only 45 cancellations reported on U.S. flights on Saturday, following a mere 47 on Friday.

By the early morning hours of Sunday, however, travelers faced hundreds of preemptive cancellations as forecasts of poor conditions became more certain.

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Cancellations and delays along the East Coast grew Sunday morning from the fast-moving winter storm, which was forecast to dump snow on portions of the New York metropolitan area, New England and the surrounding region.

Here is the latest briefing on the potential winter storm for later this weekend. For the full briefing, click the link here : https://t.co/XOyNs6MCfJ
Arctic air with sub zero windchills arrives after the storm departs for the first half of next week !! pic.twitter.com/RFYlJ2XP30

— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) January 18, 2025

Most major U.S. airlines issued travel advisories for the long weekend covering many of the biggest Northeast hubs — from the three large airports in the New York City area, to Boston, Philadelphia and the Washington, D.C. region.

Those waivers gave travelers extra flexibility to make free ticket changes, even when flying on an ultra-restrictive ticket.

Northeast winter weather

Travelers should plan for disruptions getting to or from major New York City area airports, including Newark, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), said ahead of the impending storm..

Those airports’ governing body urged travelers to check with their airline and build in extra time getting to the airport — particularly at JFK, amid ongoing construction at the region’s largest hub.

DC region marred by bitter cold

Making matters worse: Travelers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) had to contend with an outage to its heating system in the terminals, leading to plunging temperatures inside as travelers descended upon the city — itself bracing for bitter cold temperatures — ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on Monday.

Our maintenance team is working through the night to repair an airport-wide heating system outage. Indoor temperatures by Saturday morning could drop to colder than normal temperatures, but we will remain open. Airlines, TSA and shopping and dining will operate at their normal… pic.twitter.com/3qpVgwbI8V

— Reagan Airport (@Reagan_Airport) January 18, 2025

DCA reported the heat was back on in its terminals late Saturday afternoon.

More winter weather possible next week

While disruptions from this weekend’s winter storm are likely to affect air travel on Sunday and Monday, parts of the Deep South are already planning for the possibility of an additional winter storm. If the forecast materializes, it could bring travel to a standstill. 

The National Weather Service warned of “increasing potential” for a storm that could sweep across portions of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia — perhaps bringing “accumulating snow and ice. That could even include cities like Houston, New Orleans and Tallahassee, Florida, that rarely see wintry weather.

In addition to the winter storm in the Northeast, another winter storm may develop and impact much of the Deep South early next week. Here is our first Key Message about that potential winter storm. pic.twitter.com/2AUuq4TY7z

— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) January 17, 2025

United Airlines, which operates a major hub at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), had already issued an additional travel waiver for next week’s developing storm, covering a slew of southern airports, including its Houston base.

Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) took to social media to note its preparations ahead of the impending storm.

❄️ Winter weather at AUS means teamwork, preparation, & coordination!