Why flight cancellations are getting much, much worse

Flight cancellations and delays are worsening across the United States as low cloud cover, reduced visibility and severe weather strain airline capacity and national air traffic operations. The Federal Aviation Administration warned that bad weather in eastern transit hubs—including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Charlotte and Orlando—was disrupting domestic networks. FlightAware reported that on Monday morning more than 1,300 domestic flights were delayed and over 100 were canceled. New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport led with 117 delays and 25 cancellations, while JetBlue was hardest hit with nearly 100 delays and 25 cancellations. Analysts point to a lack of spare seating capacity after airlines reduced available seats since April due to rising fuel costs. Experts say disruptions from major-city storms can compound for days, so travelers should monitor alerts, rebook quickly, and consider alternative routing or extra layover time.