Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Over one thousand four hundred flights were delayed or canceled throughout the United States yesterday as major airlines including Air Canada, American, Southwest, Frontier, Delta, Alaska, Spirit, United, Hawaiian, Turkish, British Airways, Etihad, and Japan Airlines faced severe weather disruptions at Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco, New York JFK, Philadelphia, and San Diego airports. The widespread storm system brought heavy delays and cancellations across both domestic and international routes, affecting everything from short regional connections to long-haul transatlantic flights. As passengers scrambled to rebook and terminals overflowed with delays, the disruption quickly rippled across the country’s busiest hubs during peak summer travel season.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Chicago O’Hare emerged as the worst-hit airport, with 530 delays and 16 cancellations. Major U.S. carriers such as United Airlines, American Airlines, and SkyWest reported significant disruptions. SkyWest alone delayed 112 flights, United delayed 100 and canceled 4, while American Airlines experienced 84 delays and 1 cancellation.
Regional and international airlines also suffered, including Republic, GoJet, PSA Airlines, and global names like Air India, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, and British Airways, each recording delays above 20%. Even smaller players like Contour Airlines, Frontier, Envoy Air, and Southern Airways Express saw substantial delays.
The situation was made worse by O’Hare’s role as a key connection hub — meaning thousands of travelers saw their plans upended not just locally, but system-wide.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
At Dallas-Fort Worth, the country’s second busiest airport, 367 flights were delayed and 5 were canceled. American Airlines, based at DFW, led with a massive 227 delays, although it impressively avoided any cancellations.
SkyWest, PSA Airlines, and Air Canada were also impacted, the latter canceling one flight and delaying five. International routes were hit as well, with Qantas, Emirates, Fiji Airways, Turkish Airlines, VivaAerobus, and Etihad Airways all reporting disruption.
This domino effect clogged DFW’s airspace, causing ripple delays throughout Texas and beyond, even as airlines worked to rebook passengers and ease the growing backlog.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
On the West Coast, San Francisco International Airport logged 122 delays and 7 cancellations. The worst affected was United Airlines, which canceled 6 flights and delayed 44 more. Delta, Alaska Airlines, and JetBlue saw smaller delays ranging between 7–15%, while Southwest Airlines faced 16 delays at a high 36% disruption rate.
International long-haul carriers also encountered issues: Air France, Air India, Emirates, Swiss, Starlux, Qatar Airways, and Air New Zealand were all hit with either full or partial schedule interruptions.
The scattered nature of these delays strained both departing and arriving gates, making connections tricky for travelers transiting through the West Coast gateway.
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
In New York, JFK International experienced 146 delays and 4 cancellations. Domestic carriers like JetBlue and Delta recorded the most affected flights, followed by American Airlines and regional operator Republic Airways.
But JFK’s global role meant international carriers felt the storm’s sting, too. Among those impacted were British Airways, Qatar Airways, Lufthansa, El Al, Etihad Airways, Kenya Airways, Japan Airlines, and Air France. Norse Atlantic Airways, SAS, and Singapore Airlines also saw significant service issues.
Notably, multiple flights operated by Nippon Cargo and Sata Internacional were delayed or canceled, showing that cargo and passenger operations alike were crippled.
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
Philadelphia saw 127 delays and 3 cancellations, most concentrated among American Airlines and its regional affiliates. PSA Airlines reported 16 delayed flights and 2 canceled, while Piedmont Airlines had 28 delays with a 17% impact rate.
Other carriers such as Frontier, Delta, and JetBlue also saw issues, although less severe. Air Canada reported 2 delays at a full 100% disruption rate on its PHL schedule, underscoring how even international links weren’t spared.
While the airport avoided heavy cancellations, the volume of delays created passenger congestion throughout the terminal.
San Diego International Airport (SAN)
In the southwest, San Diego International logged 95 delays and 6 cancellations. Southwest Airlines again topped the disruption list, delaying 44 flights and canceling 4. Alaska Airlines also suffered — 13 flights delayed and 2 canceled.
International carriers like Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, and WestJet had mixed results, with many reporting high delay percentages. Smaller players such as Breeze Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, and Frontier contributed to the airport’s total disruption count.
Though not as busy as the other five airports, the concentrated volume of delays at SAN still left travelers facing long queues and missed connections.
Over 60 Airlines Impacted Coast to Coast
From regional airlines like SkyWest, Republic, and GoJet, to global giants such as Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Turkish Airlines, more than 60 airlines were directly affected by the severe weather across all six airports. Passenger frustration spiked as many were left stranded or rebooked, with ripple delays stretching well beyond U.S. borders due to missed connecting flights.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Total Delays: 530 flights
- Total Cancellations: 16 flights
- Major Affected Airlines:
- SkyWest: 112 delays, 5 cancellations
- United: 100 delays, 4 cancellations
- American Airlines: 84 delays, 1 cancellation
- Republic: 40 delays, 3 cancellations
- Air India, Air Wisconsin, Delta, Frontier, Envoy, GoJet, PSA Airlines, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, and others also affected
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Total Delays: 367 flights
- Total Cancellations: 5 flights
- Major Affected Airlines:
- American Airlines: 227 delays
- SkyWest: 21 delays, 2 cancellations
- PSA Airlines: 27 delays, 1 cancellation
- Air Canada: 5 delays, 1 cancellation
- Other impacted airlines include Qantas, Lufthansa, Delta, Envoy, Frontier, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, and VivaAerobus
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Total Delays: 122 flights
- Total Cancellations: 7 flights
- Major Affected Airlines:
- United: 44 delays, 6 cancellations
- Delta: 9 delays, 1 cancellation
- Alaska Airlines: 11 delays
- Southwest: 16 delays
- Additional disruptions: Air France, Air India, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Swiss, Air New Zealand, JetBlue, and Horizon
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Total Delays: 146 flights
- Total Cancellations: 4 flights
- Major Affected Airlines:
- JetBlue: 31 delays
- Delta: 25 delays
- American Airlines: 12 delays
- El Al, Jazz, Air India: 1 cancellation each
- Also impacted: British Airways, Qatar Airways, Lufthansa, Etihad, Japan Airlines, Kenya Airways, Sata Internacional, Norse Atlantic, and Air France
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
- Total Delays: 127 flights
- Total Cancellations: 3 flights
- Major Affected Airlines:
- American Airlines: 49 delays, 1 cancellation
- PSA Airlines: 16 delays, 2 cancellations
- Piedmont: 28 delays
- Additional impacts: Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, Air Canada
San Diego International Airport (SAN)
- Total Delays: 95 flights
- Total Cancellations: 6 flights
- Major Affected Airlines:
- Southwest: 44 delays, 4 cancellations
- Alaska Airlines: 13 delays, 2 cancellations
- Additional delays: Frontier, United, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, Breeze Airways, Air Canada
Total Disruptions:
- Delays: 1,387
- Cancellations: 41
- Total Disrupted Flights: 1,428
Over one thousand four hundred flights were delayed or canceled throughout the US as severe weather disrupted operations for major airlines like Air Canada, American, Southwest, Delta, United, Alaska, Spirit, Hawaiian, Turkish, British Airways, Etihad, and Japan Airlines at key hubs including Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco, New York JFK, Philadelphia, and San Diego.
What This Means for Summer Travel
This mass disruption comes at the start of the summer travel season, raising serious concerns for travelers heading into July. Airlines are urging passengers to sign up for real-time alerts, arrive early, and check the weather at both departure and arrival points.
With climate-driven weather events on the rise, days like this may become more common — and even well-prepared airlines are finding it harder to cope with the scale and suddenness of such storms.
If you’re flying soon, brace for turbulence — not just in the air, but at the airport.
Tags: Air Canada, Airline News, alaska, American, Chicago, Dallas, delta, frontier, hawaiian airlines, JetBlue, JFK, San Francisco, southwest, spirit, travel alert, travel industry, Travel News, United, US
