As travelers prepare to fly home on what is anticipated to be one of the busiest travel days in 15 years, a powerful winter storm in the Midwest and Great Lakes region has prompted the cancellation of hundreds of flights nationwide.
As of noon Sunday, 6,211 flights have been delayed into and out of the United States, and 1,006 flights have been canceled, according to flight tracker FlightAware, which provides live flight delay and cancellation updates.
Out of Los Angeles International Airport, the busiest airport in California, six flights had been canceled, and 126 had been delayed. Inbound flights to LAX were also affected, with 12 flights canceled and 155 delayed. Hollywood Burbank Airport and Long Beach Airport were also impacted with several flights delayed on Sunday.
In a statement on Nov. 21, the Transportation Security Administration said that more than 17.8 million travelers were expected to fly from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2, with more than 3 million traveling on Sunday. “We are projecting that the Sunday after Thanksgiving will be one of the busiest travel days in TSA history,” said Adam Stahl, senior official performing the duties of deputy TSA administrator.
While weather is the leading cause of delays, some short-term disruptions were expected after the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive to address a software problem in Airbus A320 aircraft. The recall was implemented after a JetBlue Airways flight from Cancun to Newark dropped in midair on Oct. 30, and made an emergency landing in Tampa, Fla., injuring 15 to 20 passengers.
Before heading to the airport, travelers are encouraged to check NASstatus.faa.gov for flight delays, the National Weather Service for weather conditions and airlines for up-to-date flight information.
