Travelers across the United States faced another bruising day of air travel on January 21, 2026, as a fresh wave of cancellations and delays rippled through major hubs from Chicago and Seattle to New York, Los Angeles, Boston and beyond.

At least 42 flights were canceled and about 165 delayed across a cross section of carriers including SkyWest, Jazz, LATAM, United, Volaris, Delta and Alaska Airlines, stranding passengers, snarling connections and underscoring how vulnerable the winter flight grid remains to weather and operational strain.

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Fresh Winter Turbulence Hits Major Hubs

The latest disruptions struck at a time when the US air system was already stretched by a busy January travel period and lingering staffing and maintenance pressures. Airlines and airport officials pointed to a familiar mix of catalysts: low clouds and snow squalls, ground holds, and time-consuming deicing procedures that forced crews to slow departures at key hubs.

Data from flight-tracking sources on January 21 showed dozens of cancellations and more than one hundred delays tied to a broad set of US and international carriers, with regional operators bearing a disproportionate share of the strain. The knock-on effect was visible across Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Boston and other cities, where departure boards lit up with rolling delay estimates and clusters of canceled departures.

While the figures in this latest wave are smaller than the multi-thousand-delay events recorded during severe storms in late 2025, aviation analysts say the pattern is deeply familiar. Even a relatively modest weather system can quickly ripple through a tightly scheduled network, especially when aircraft rotations are running close to the edge and spare crews are limited.

SkyWest and Regional Partners at the Center of the Disruption

Among the hardest-hit operators in the current episode is SkyWest, the large US regional carrier that flies on behalf of major brands including United, Delta, American and Alaska. Recent operational tallies show SkyWest repeatedly near the top of national delay charts, and January 21 was no exception, with the carrier contributing a significant share of the day’s cancellations and late departures.

Regional airlines such as SkyWest sit at the core of US domestic connectivity, linking small and midsize cities to megahubs like Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles International and Seattle–Tacoma. When winter weather or ground congestion slows their operations, the effects cascade quickly: passengers miss onward connections, aircraft and crews end up in the wrong places, and hub operations struggle to rebalance in time for the next bank of departures.

In recent months, travel-industry monitoring outlets have repeatedly highlighted how regional carriers amplify national disruption totals. On January 21, SkyWest’s mix of cancellations and delays again magnified disruptions at the mainline partners whose flight codes it carries, complicating recovery efforts for big brands that passengers often blame first when things go wrong.

Legacy Giants and Low-Cost Players Feel the Strain

United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines were among the larger US brands grappling with delays linked to the latest round of weather and ground challenges. United’s extensive hub operations at Chicago and in the Northeast left it exposed to snow and low-visibility conditions, while Delta and its partners reported hold-ups at major coastal and Midwest stations as crews worked through deicing queues.

Alaska Airlines, heavily reliant on the weather-sensitive Pacific Northwest and Alaska markets, has faced repeated winter pressure. Earlier operational snapshots this season showed Alaska contending with both cancellations and a substantial volume of late flights as storms moved across Seattle and Anchorage. The latest disruptions again underscored how quickly operations in those regions can seize up when conditions deteriorate, even briefly.

Low-cost and cross-border carriers were caught in the turbulence as well. Mexican airline Volaris appeared in disruption tallies with a cluster of canceled and delayed flights, a reminder that cross-border operations into and out of US gateways such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York remain tightly coupled to the reliability of domestic ground handling and air traffic control. Latin American carrier LATAM, which operates extensive service to and from US coastal hubs, also appeared among affected airlines, further complicating travel plans for international passengers.

Cross-Border Carriers and Jazz, LATAM and Volaris Connections

For Canadian and Latin American travelers, the latest problems in US airspace were felt particularly acutely through regional partners like Jazz and long-haul operators like LATAM. Jazz, a key regional affiliate linking Canadian cities with US airports, has featured in recent disruption reports tied to bad weather and tight schedules at northeastern hubs. Even a small number of cancellations on its routes can trigger wider schedule hiccups for passengers connecting onward through New York or Boston.

LATAM’s footprint, centered on routes between South America and US cities including New York, Boston and Los Angeles, leaves its operations vulnerable whenever those gateways experience deicing delays or runway congestion. Delays to a single northbound overnight flight can reverberate across return services and onward connections deep into LATAM’s South American network.

Volaris, which has steadily expanded its presence in cross-border leisure markets, is similarly exposed to ground disruptions at US airports where turnaround times are tightly planned to keep costs low. Recent operational tallies showed the carrier posting multiple delays and a cluster of cancellations, tightening the squeeze on travelers trying to piece together itineraries that cross several carriers and countries.

Chicago, Seattle, New York and Los Angeles Bear the Brunt

On the ground, some of the worst scenes played out once again in America’s largest hubs. At Chicago O’Hare, where winter crosswinds and snow are an almost daily prospect in January, airport boards reflected a familiar pattern of morning cancellations followed by hours of rolling departure delays. For passengers, that translated to unexpectedly long waits in crowded concourses and frequent gate changes as airlines shuffled aircraft and crew assignments.

In Seattle, where winter brings a volatile mix of rain, low clouds and occasional snow or freezing rain, deicing bottlenecks and taxiway congestion slowed operations for both Alaska Airlines and its regional partners. Terminal waiting areas filled with travelers staring at updated departure times and listening for boarding announcements that seemed to slip in 15-minute increments across much of the day.

New York’s major airports, especially John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia, have endured a series of congestion and weather-related shocks over the past six months. Those patterns have continued into January 2026, with carriers ranging from US legacies to international flag airlines, as well as regional operators such as Jazz, LATAM and SkyWest affiliates, frequently appearing in cancellation and delay summaries.

Los Angeles and Boston, while spared the most extreme winter conditions seen in interior markets, nonetheless absorbed operational blowback from weather-related slowdowns at other hubs. Aircraft arriving late from snow-hit cities left some westbound and transcontinental departures behind schedule, setting off a familiar domino effect that kept passengers in terminals long past their planned boarding times.

Passengers Endure Long Waits, Missed Connections and Uncertain Plans

For travelers, the headline numbers translate into hours of personal disruption. Passengers at airports from Chicago and Seattle to New York and Los Angeles reported crowded customer service lines, limited information on rebooking options and uncertainty over whether to wait out rolling delays or seek alternative routes.

Families on multi-leg itineraries faced a particularly stark set of choices. With regional feeders such as SkyWest and Jazz canceling or delaying flights that feed into long-haul services operated by United, Delta, LATAM and others, many passengers arrived at hub airports only to discover that their onward flight had already left. In some cases, overnight stays became unavoidable as remaining seats on later flights rapidly filled.

Business travelers and time-sensitive passengers, including those heading to international meetings or events, complained of losing entire days to reshuffled itineraries. Airlines typically attempt to prioritize these customers for rebooking, but the sheer volume of disrupted passengers on days like January 21 makes it difficult to accommodate everyone quickly, especially when aircraft availability is constrained.

Consumer advocates note that while weather remains the leading cited cause of such disruptions, operational resilience is also a key factor. Thin staffing at some carriers and ground-handling contractors, along with limited spare aircraft capacity, leaves little buffer to absorb even modest waves of disruptions without significant downstream passenger impact.

Why Weather and Deicing Still Cripple Tight Winter Schedules

Aviation experts point out that winter weather does not have to be extreme to wreak outsized havoc on US schedules. Deicing in particular is a time-intensive but non-negotiable safety procedure that can slow departures to a crawl, especially at dawn and dusk departure banks when dozens of aircraft are scheduled to leave in rapid succession.

When temperatures hover around freezing, as they often do in Chicago, New York and Boston during January, even light snow or freezing drizzle can demand repeated deicing of aircraft and careful management of runway treatment. Each aircraft that spends longer at the gate waiting for deicing fluid or queues at a deicing pad pushes back the flights behind it, quickly turning what looks like a 30-minute delay into an hour or more.

Compounding the challenge, airlines generally run lean winter schedules stocked with aircraft already in heavy use and with crew rosters finely tuned to duty-time limits. Once a crew reaches those regulatory limits because of extended ground delays, the airline must find replacements or cancel the flight, adding to the disruption tally. These structural factors help explain why recent data show relatively moderate storms still generating thousands of daily delays across the United States.

What Stranded Travelers Can Do as Disruptions Persist

Travel specialists say that while passengers cannot control the weather or airline staffing levels, there are steps they can take when disruptions like those on January 21 hit. The first is to monitor flight status closely via airline apps or text alerts well before heading to the airport, and again while in transit, to avoid unnecessary time in terminals if a cancellation becomes likely.

Once delays start to pile up, passengers are encouraged to use every available channel to reach their airline, rather than relying solely on the airport customer service desk. Phone support, messaging through airline apps and even social media outreach can sometimes secure rebooking options faster than waiting in a physical line with hundreds of other affected travelers.

For those facing overnight disruptions, knowing airline policies in advance can help. While US carriers are not required to provide hotel rooms for weather-related cancellations, many offer meal vouchers or negotiated hotel rates, particularly for frequent flyers. Keeping essential items such as medication, a change of clothes and chargers in carry-on bags can also soften the blow of an unscheduled overnight stay.

With winter still in full swing and forecasts calling for additional storms in the weeks ahead, aviation observers warn that episodes like the current wave of 42 cancellations and 165 delays may continue to punctuate the season. For now, US travelers planning trips through hubs in Chicago, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, Boston and other major cities are being advised to build extra time into their itineraries and to prepare for the possibility that their plans could change with little warning.