US Winter Storm Fury: 2,838 Delays/114 Cancellations—Delta Tops w/ 295 Delays!

Severe winter weather across the United States triggered widespread deicing delays and flight disruptions, significantly impacting major airlines. Delta was among the hardest hit with 18 cancellations and 295 delays, followed by Alaska Airlines (21/202), United (11/206), Spirit (14/125), American (5/237), and SkyWest (10/232). Snow, ice, and freezing temperatures slowed aircraft turnaround times, creating cascading delays throughout airline networks.

Major hub airports experienced heavy congestion as operations slowed to a crawl. Atlanta reported 8 cancellations and 240 delays, Seattle (11/213), Chicago O’Hare (4/91), Fort Lauderdale (12/131), Los Angeles (6/170), JFK (3/88), and Minneapolis–St. Paul (7/74). Deicing queues and limited runway availability led to mounting backlogs, leaving aircraft and crews out of position.

Passengers were stranded across multiple cities, including Boston, Dallas, Miami, Denver, Orlando, San Diego, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. The disruptions stretched coast to coast, affecting routes from Anchorage (15/88) to the U.S. Virgin Islands (9 delays, no cancellations). Airlines continue recovery efforts as winter conditions underscore the fragility of air travel during extreme weather events.

Key Points

• Severe winter weather caused nationwide deicing delays
• Delta, Alaska, United, and American saw the highest disruption levels
• Major hubs like Atlanta, Seattle, and LAX were heavily impacted
• Coast-to-coast disruptions stranded passengers in multiple cities
• Recovery remains ongoing amid challenging winter conditions