Travelers moving through San Francisco International Airport on Sunday faced another difficult day as a combination of low clouds, wet weather and air-traffic management constraints led to 15 flight cancellations and 269 delays. The disruptions affected major U.S. carriers including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, and rippled across some of the country’s busiest corridors, from New York and Los Angeles to Chicago, Seattle and other domestic hubs.
Weather and Air-Traffic Constraints Slow Operations
San Francisco International has long been vulnerable to weather-related bottlenecks, particularly when low clouds, fog or wind force federal air-traffic officials to slow the rate of arriving and departing flights. By Sunday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration had again put a ground delay program in place for SFO, citing rain, low ceilings and the need to increase the separation between aircraft. Average delays were reported at more than two hours for some arrivals, pushing a large share of the day’s schedule off track.
While only 15 flights were canceled outright, the 269 delays amounted to a significant proportion of the airport’s daily operations, particularly during the peak morning and early afternoon travel windows. Many flights departed or arrived well behind schedule, and a number of late-morning departures shifted into the afternoon, creating rolling knock-on effects across the airline networks serving SFO.
Ground delay programs are a standard tool that the FAA uses to keep traffic volumes aligned with safe landing capacity when weather limits visibility or runway use. At SFO, where crossing runways and a coastal microclimate already constrain operations, even modest changes in wind and cloud cover can quickly cascade into schedule disruptions. Sunday’s conditions were not as severe as recent nationwide winter storms, but they were enough to slow what is normally a tightly choreographed arrivals and departures sequence.
Major Carriers Feel the Strain
The disruption hit the four largest operators at San Francisco International hardest. United Airlines, which maintains one of its key West Coast hubs at SFO, reported a mix of delayed departures to the East Coast and shorter-haul routes up and down the Pacific, as aircraft and crews arriving late from earlier segments were turned around for subsequent flights. Some United travelers bound for Chicago and New York faced extended waits at the gate as dispatchers worked to slot aircraft into newly assigned departure times.
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, both of which operate transcontinental services linking SFO with New York and other major business markets, also reported delayed segments. Passengers on morning and midday turns to the New York area were warned of holding patterns on arrival, as air-traffic managers throttled back inbound flows to match reduced runway capacity. A portion of these East Coast services arrived nearly two hours behind schedule, and return departures from SFO similarly pushed later into the day.
Southwest Airlines, a dominant player on Western U.S. corridors, contended with delays on high-frequency routes connecting the Bay Area with Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas and Seattle. Although Southwest’s point-to-point network often offers more flexibility in rerouting, the fact that SFO was intermittently restricting arrivals and departures meant some flights were forced to wait on the ground at origin airports until landing slots became available.
Impact on Key Domestic Routes and Hubs
Because San Francisco International is deeply integrated into national airline networks, a localized operational squeeze can quickly be felt in distant cities. Sunday’s 15 cancellations and 269 delays affected flights arriving from or bound for New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, as well as secondary markets where SFO serves as a primary connection point. Travelers flying from smaller Western and Midwestern cities through San Francisco to reach the East Coast reported missed connections and unexpected overnight stays.
On the transcontinental corridor to New York, where business travelers and leisure passengers alike rely on precisely timed departures, the combination of departure holds and arrival spacing contributed to a full day of rolling schedule adjustments. Even when aircraft ultimately departed, many did so well behind the originally published time, complicating onward connections at East Coast hubs and squeezing the margin for evening return segments.
Service between San Francisco and Los Angeles, typically among the most frequent and resilient routes in the country, was not immune. A series of short delays across multiple carriers gradually built into longer queues for runway access, affecting passengers who depend on quick shuttle-style hops for same-day meetings or onward international flights out of Southern California. Similar patterns were seen on flights to Chicago and Seattle, which connect Bay Area travelers to the central and northern United States and onward to Europe and Asia.
Travelers Face Missed Connections and Long Waits
For travelers on the ground at SFO, the statistical tally of 15 cancellations and 269 delays translated into long lines at customer service counters, crowded departure lounges and hours of uncertainty about when flights would actually leave. Families returning from school vacations and long weekend trips found themselves scrambling to rebook missed connections, while business travelers tallied the impact of late arrivals on meetings and events scheduled for Sunday evening and Monday morning.
Passengers connecting through SFO from smaller U.S. cities were particularly exposed. With fewer daily departures on many regional routes, a single missed connection could mean a wait of several hours, or in some cases an overnight stay before the next available flight. Social media posts from travelers described gate changes announced with limited notice and boarding processes repeatedly paused as crews awaited updated guidance from air-traffic control.
Despite the frustration, airport officials and airlines emphasized that safety and controlled spacing of aircraft had to remain the priority. They urged passengers to remain in regular contact with their carriers via mobile apps and text notifications, which often reflected real-time adjustments more accurately than static departure boards. Some travelers who responded quickly to early delay alerts were able to shift to alternate routings via other hubs, avoiding the longest waits at SFO.
SFO’s Ongoing Capacity Challenges
The latest day of disruption comes as San Francisco International prepares for an extended period of constrained runway capacity beginning later this spring. Airport officials have already announced that one of SFO’s key runways will undergo a months-long rehabilitation and resurfacing project starting in late March, during which time much of the airport’s traffic will be funneled onto only two primary runways. That work, while essential to long-term safety and performance, is expected to introduce additional pressure on scheduling and increase the risk of bottlenecks during peak periods.
In recent months, SFO has also weathered other strain points, including temporary terminal closures related to security investigations and weather episodes that prompted similar ground delay programs. Incidents in late 2025 saw hundreds of flights delayed and several dozen canceled as strong winds and low clouds forced the FAA to throttle back arrivals and departures. Those events served as a reminder that even in the absence of major storms, relatively routine variations in Bay Area weather can have outsized effects on airport operations.
Airport planners and airline partners have been working to model how the coming runway work, seasonal weather patterns and evolving federal air-traffic rules will interact during 2026. The aim is to keep overall delay levels manageable, but officials have acknowledged that certain days, particularly when adverse weather coincides with already tight schedules, could see a higher share of flights disrupted. Sunday’s performance, with nearly 270 flights delayed, offered an early glimpse of how quickly conditions can tip.
Advice for Passengers Traveling Through SFO
With the potential for further disruptions in the months ahead, travel experts and airline representatives are urging passengers who rely on SFO to build more flexibility into their plans. For those with same-day connections, especially on routes to and from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, adding extra time between segments can provide a buffer when SFO’s arrival rate is temporarily reduced. Early morning departures may also offer a better chance of leaving on time before delays accumulate across the system.
Travelers are also being encouraged to monitor their flight status closely in the 24 hours leading up to departure. Airline mobile apps, text alerts and email notifications often provide the earliest indicators of schedule adjustments, gate changes or rerouting options. When ground delay programs are in effect, carriers may preemptively adjust departure times or rebook affected passengers to later flights or alternate hubs to keep traffic flowing.
For those already at the airport when disruptions escalate, staying close to the gate and listening for real-time announcements remains important, as boarding can sometimes begin quickly when a new slot becomes available. Passengers who experience cancellations or extreme delays may have additional options, including requesting rerouting on partner airlines or seeking assistance with meal and accommodation vouchers, depending on carrier policies and the nature of the disruption.
Wider Context of U.S. Flight Disruptions
Sunday’s difficulties at San Francisco International unfolded against a broader backdrop of operational challenges across the U.S. aviation system. In recent weeks, a series of winter storms, government staffing constraints and localized weather patterns have produced waves of cancellations and delays at major hubs from New York and Boston to Chicago and Los Angeles. While the national totals on Sunday were modest compared with the most severe days of the winter season, pockets of congestion like the one at SFO remained a recurring feature of the travel landscape.
Industry analysts note that the U.S. air system continues to operate with relatively tight margins on both staffing and infrastructure. When disruptions occur at a key node such as SFO, the ripple effects can spread quickly as aircraft and crew rotations fall out of sync. Carriers have added some spare capacity into their schedules compared with previous years, but that cushion can be quickly absorbed during periods of sustained bad weather or air-traffic restrictions.
For travelers, the pattern underscores the importance of remaining adaptable and well informed. Even on days when national disruption totals appear moderate, conditions at a single hub can still lead to missed connections and extended waits. San Francisco’s experience on Sunday, with 15 cancellations and 269 delays concentrated at one of the West Coast’s most important gateways, offered a clear reminder of how localized factors can shape the travel experience far beyond the Bay Area.