Air travelers across the United States are facing another bout of turbulence, not in the skies but on the ground, as a fresh wave of delays and cancellations ripples through the nation’s busiest hubs. According to real-time data aggregated from flight tracking services, at least 62 flights have been canceled and 2,827 delayed on affected days, snarling operations at major gateways including Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Miami, New York and San Francisco. With Alaska Airlines, United, Delta, American and several other carriers all impacted to varying degrees, passengers are once again confronting long lines, missed connections and rapidly changing itineraries.

New Disruptions in a System Under Strain

The latest disruptions underscore just how fragile the US air travel system remains after years of rapid demand growth, intermittent staffing shortages and repeated operational shocks. Even on days without headline-grabbing storms or national ground stops, relatively modest triggers can now cascade into thousands of delays and dozens of cancellations nationwide. Flight data providers routinely report daily tallies in the low thousands for delayed departures and arrivals; the current figure of 2,827 delayed flights places this episode among the more severe, though not unprecedented, disruptions of recent months.

What is notable about this wave of disruption is its breadth across both carriers and airports. Alaska, United, Delta and American, along with low-cost and regional operators, are all reporting irregular operations, particularly on routes involving key hubs. This is not a single-airline meltdown or a storm centered on one region. Instead, it is a familiar pattern of widespread operational stress in which minor issues in one part of the system quickly ripple into missed crew connections, aircraft out of position and rolling delays throughout the day.

The geography of the current disruptions also highlights the interdependence of the network. Flights at Los Angeles International, San Francisco International and Seattle are interlinked with transcontinental and international services flowing through New York, Chicago and Miami. When early-morning departures out of one hub are delayed or canceled, the aircraft and crew intended to operate subsequent legs arrive late or not at all, triggering knock-on effects that can be felt for days.

Major Hubs Bearing the Brunt

Large hub airports are once again absorbing the worst of the disruption. In the Northeast, the New York area’s trio of major airports is seeing a concentration of delays and cancellations, echoing previous episodes where weather or air traffic control constraints quickly snowballed into daylong headaches. Miami, one of the key gateways to Latin America and the Caribbean and a critical winter travel hub, continues to feature prominently in delay and cancellation rankings in recent irregular-operations days, with hundreds of affected flights reported in recent broad disruption events.

In the Midwest, airports in Chicago and Detroit are feeling the squeeze as well. Chicago, split between O’Hare and Midway, typically ranks among the nation’s busiest and most delay-prone hubs, especially when weather or staffing issues hit. When one of Chicago’s major carriers experiences a disruption, it often impacts spokes across the country. Detroit, a central hub for Delta’s domestic and transborder operations, has become a crucial node in recent months of disruption following the airline’s high-profile system issues last year that led to thousands of cancellations and a federal investigation into its handling of the crisis.

On the West Coast, Los Angeles and San Francisco are dealing with pressure on both domestic and international traffic. At San Francisco, where weather, runway configurations and air traffic control constraints already make the airport sensitive to small disturbances, extended sequences of delays are common. Los Angeles, serving as a major base for multiple legacy and low-cost carriers, can quickly become a chokepoint when operational slack is thin, leading to long waits for gates, ground handling bottlenecks and departure congestion.

Alaska, United, Delta, American and the Broader Airline Picture

Although no single carrier is solely responsible for the current travel headaches, the latest disruptions come against the backdrop of a challenging period for several major US airlines. Alaska Airlines is still recovering reputationally from the aftermath of the Boeing 737 Max 9 incident in January 2024, when an explosive decompression on a flight near Portland prompted regulators to ground that model. United Airlines, the only other US carrier operating the Max 9 at the time, also faced weeks of schedule adjustments after the grounding as aircraft were pulled from service and maintenance checks intensified.

Delta Air Lines, long viewed as one of the most operationally reliable US carriers, has not been immune. The airline suffered a major disruption in July 2024 linked to the global CrowdStrike-related IT outage, which corrupted its internal systems and led to the cancellation of more than 7,000 flights over several days, affecting more than a million passengers. The fallout, including a formal investigation by the Department of Transportation into Delta’s handling of refunds and customer care, continues to shape how regulators and consumers scrutinize airline performance during major disruptions.

American Airlines and United have dealt with their own periodic meltdowns, often tied to severe weather or tight staffing in key operational centers. Incidents in which thousands of flights are delayed or hundreds canceled in a single day, while not daily occurrences, have become common enough that consumer advocates now regularly track and publicize disruption statistics. Recent tallies from travel-rights organizations have highlighted days with more than 4,000 delays and over 150 cancellations nationwide, with a mix of legacy, low-cost and regional carriers all affected.

Why So Many Flights Are Delayed With Relatively Few Cancellations

The imbalance between the 62 cancellations and the 2,827 delays in the current episode tells its own story about how airlines now manage disruptions. Carriers have strong incentives to avoid outright cancellations whenever possible. Delays, however long, can be easier to manage from a regulatory and customer-relations standpoint than canceling a flight outright, which often triggers obligations for refunds, rebooking and, in some cases, compensation or amenities. As a result, passengers frequently see departure times pushed back repeatedly rather than being given a definitive cancellation early in the day.

Operationally, airlines also prefer to preserve the integrity of their route networks wherever they can, especially on busy trunk routes. By running flights late rather than canceling, carriers keep aircraft and crews closer to their intended positions and may prevent even broader disruptions on subsequent days. The trade-off, however, is that passengers often experience prolonged uncertainty, with boarding times that slip in 30-minute increments, limited information from gate agents, and connections that become increasingly tenuous.

Air traffic control constraints play a significant role as well. When the Federal Aviation Administration imposes ground delay programs or flow restrictions around congested airspace, airlines are forced to space out departures and arrivals more widely. In many cases, these restrictions do not force outright cancellations but add cumulative minutes of delay to each affected flight. Over a full operating day across multiple hubs, those minutes add up to hundreds or thousands of delayed flights, even if the raw cancellation count remains comparatively modest.

Passenger Impact: Missed Connections, Lost Time and Rising Frustration

For passengers trying to reach family events, business meetings or connecting long-haul flights, the distinction between a delay and a cancellation can feel academic. Missed connections are one of the most painful consequences of disruptions at major hubs, especially for travelers scheduled on tight layovers through Miami, Chicago, New York or Los Angeles. When an inbound flight arrives even 30 to 40 minutes late, there may be little margin to clear one terminal and reach another, particularly at sprawling airports where connecting gates can be far apart or require additional security checks.

Families and infrequent travelers are often hit hardest. Many book the cheapest or most convenient itineraries without fully appreciating how tight some connections are, particularly during peak travel seasons or at notoriously congested hubs. When their first leg is delayed, it sets off a scramble at the arrival gate to rebook onward segments that may already be full. A single missed connection can turn what should have been a same-day journey into an overnight ordeal involving unexpected hotel stays, out-of-pocket meal costs and further rebooking the next day.

Repeat episodes of widespread delays and cancellations have also eroded trust in airlines among many frequent travelers. Social media feeds routinely fill with photos of packed departure halls, long customer service queues and departure boards dominated by red and orange delay notifications. While some passengers remain philosophical, viewing airline delays as an unavoidable part of modern travel, others increasingly demand clearer communication, more generous rebooking policies and better contingency planning from carriers and regulators alike.

What Travelers Can Do Before and During Disruptions

While passengers cannot control weather systems or airline staffing levels, they do have more tools than ever to anticipate and navigate disruptions. Travel experts consistently recommend that customers download their airline’s mobile app, enable text and push notifications, and begin actively monitoring their flight status starting several days before departure, not just the night before. Features such as real-time aircraft tracking or “Where’s my plane” options within airline apps can provide early warning signs when the inbound aircraft operating a flight is delayed or stuck at a previous airport.

On the day of travel, arriving early and remaining flexible can make a significant difference. Travelers with checked baggage or international connections should plan generous buffers, especially when crossing busy hubs like Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago or New York. If a delay looks likely to jeopardize a connection, proactive rebooking can be crucial. Using airline apps or websites to search alternative routings, including those that connect through different hubs, can often be faster than waiting in line for an airport agent. Passengers holding elite status or premium tickets may have access to dedicated phone lines or service desks, but even economy travelers can benefit from acting as soon as delay notifications appear.

For those already stranded at an airport, understanding one’s rights is essential. The Department of Transportation requires airlines to refund passengers whose flights are canceled and who choose not to travel, although carriers are not always obliged to cover secondary expenses such as hotels and meals unless the cancellation is clearly within the airline’s control. Each carrier publishes a customer service plan outlining what it offers during extended delays, including meal vouchers, hotel rooms or rebooking on partner airlines. Passengers who document their experiences and keep receipts may have better chances of obtaining reimbursement or goodwill gestures after the fact.

Long-Term Questions About the Resilience of US Air Travel

Beyond the immediate inconvenience, recurring bouts of disruption have raised deeper questions about the resilience of the US air travel system. Many industry analysts point to a combination of aging infrastructure, tight staffing at airlines and air traffic control facilities, high aircraft utilization schedules and the lingering operational and financial scars of the pandemic years. These factors, taken together, mean there is often little slack in the system when something goes wrong, whether it is a thunderstorm line over the Northeast, an IT glitch at a major carrier, or a maintenance issue that grounds a particular aircraft type.

Regulators and lawmakers have responded with a mix of investigations, hearings and proposed regulations aimed at improving transparency and passenger protections. The Department of Transportation has signaled a tougher posture toward airlines that experience repeated operational failures, as seen in its probes of high-profile meltdowns in recent years. Consumer advocates are pressing for clearer compensation rules during disruptions that are within airlines’ control, such as staffing or IT failures, arguing that current policies leave too much ambiguity and place too much of the financial burden on travelers.

For now, however, the primary reality for passengers is that days with hundreds of cancellations and several thousand delays have become an accepted part of the travel landscape. The present disruption, with 62 canceled flights and 2,827 delayed across major airports from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Detroit, Chicago, Miami and New York, fits squarely within this new normal. As peak travel periods approach and demand remains strong, the pressure on airlines and airports to manage these events more effectively will only increase.

For US travelers, the message emerging from this latest wave of delays and cancellations is both sobering and practical. Air travel is operating in an environment where volatility is the rule rather than the exception, and even small operational shocks can reverberate across the network. Until significant investments in infrastructure, technology and staffing take fuller effect, episodes in which thousands of passengers are stranded or delayed are likely to continue cropping up, sometimes with little advance warning.

Preparing for that reality does not mean abandoning air travel but approaching it with a more strategic mindset. Choosing itineraries with longer connections, avoiding the last flight of the day on critical legs, traveling with carry-on luggage when possible and building flexibility into hotel and ground transport plans can all make the difference between a disrupted trip that becomes an ordeal and one that remains manageable. Travelers who stay informed, use the tools at their disposal and understand their rights stand the best chance of weathering the next operational squall.

As the current disruptions gradually unwind and the system resets, airlines, regulators and passengers will once again take stock of what went wrong and what could be improved before the next flare-up. For now, the departure boards at Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Francisco and other affected airports tell the story in stark terms: far more flights running late than on time, a relatively modest but still consequential number of cancellations, and thousands of journeys reshaped by forces largely outside any individual traveler’s control.