Thousands of flights canceled on Christmas weekend as winter storm hits US
As North America wakes up on Christmas Day, those traveling in the last 24 hours have had a less-than-ideal experience. As Winter Storm Elliott affects two-thirds of the US, airports have been forced to reduce operations and airlines scramble to rebook passengers on limited services. Overall, over 3,480 flights were axed on the 24th, while Christmas Day is looking harsh too, with 1,345 flights canceled even before 09:00 AM EST.
Huge storm
The US is not unfamiliar with harsh weather in December. Indeed the last few years have seen scores of cancelations at several airports due to snow and storms. However, Elliott differs by its scale, affecting cities across the eastern border of the US, particularly hitting the Midwest.
The statistics clearly show the impact, with a stunning 3,487 flights canceled on Christmas Eve and another 8,355 delayed in total, according to FlightAware. Speaking to some who flew out of Chicago Midway yesterday, chaos prevailed, with passengers seeing flights axed and those who managed to get onboard spending hours for baggage loading and deicing.
However, it was Denver International that was the worst hit, with 15% of services canceled (128) and 44% delayed (366). Delta super-hub and the world's busiest airport, Atlanta, was almost level and saw 15% of flights canceled (128) and another 44% delayed (363).
In relative terms, Portland Airport was hit the hardest of any major airport, with 38% of flights axed (81) and 18% delayed (38). Newark was first affected in terms of delays, with 49% of flights running behind schedule (266) and 16% canceled (89). Overall, it wasn't a great day to travel from most airports, barring a few exceptions in the South and the lower West Coast.
North of the border, Toronto Airport was struggling too, with 23% of flights axed (114) and 54% delayed (267).
Southwest struggling
While airports only show one side of the story, airlines tell another. The travel chaos hit Southwest Airlines the hardest, with 1,307 flights or 36% of all services canceled. Another 1,562 flights were delayed, or 44% of the schedule. You may have noticed from above, some of Southwest's biggest hubs, Denver, Atlanta, and Chicago Midway, were hit by the storm, leading to more issues. Notably, the carrier enacted emergency provisions at Denver to keep its ramp operations, including forced overtime (per sources online).
Delta Air Lines came in second, 525 flights canceled (22%) and 817 delayed (35%). United came in third but with a wide gap, at only 298 axed flights (13%) and 1,000 delayed (44%). Alaska's operations were hit hard, 224 flights (32% of all) were canceled and another 40% were delayed.
Christmas Day looking slightly better
As of 09:00 EST/06:00 PST, airlines have already started canceling flights for the day. 1,367 flights will not fly on Christmas, with Southwest axing 405 services (10%) and 439 delayed (11%). Delta is off to an even worse start, with 18% of flights not flying (403) and 130 delayed (5%). United will see 135 flights canceled (5%) and 155 pushed back (6%). For those hoping to get back home for Christmas Day, keep on eye on your airline apps and keep an eye on alternative flights if needed.
0 Comments