Airlines have issued advisories for travelers through affected airports and offered travel waivers. The Federal Aviation Administration implemented rolling ground stops at more than a dozen airports from Florida to the Northeast. As of Tuesday, delays and cancellations continue.
Flightradar24 data shows ongoing disruptions at New York's major airports: Newark reported 112 cancellations, LaGuardia had 47, and JFK saw 38. Other East Coast hubs like Washington Reagan National Airport and Philadelphia International Airport also faced issues with 56 and 34 canceled flights respectively.
Republic Airways was heavily impacted on Monday with 390 cancellations and 268 delays as it operates regional flights for United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines.
Mainline carriers also faced significant disruptions. American Airlines canceled nearly 350 flights with over 1,400 delays while United Airlines recorded 243 cancellations and more than 1,200 delays. United is currently experiencing high disruption levels with ongoing issues into Tuesday.
United has issued a travel waiver allowing itinerary changes without fees for impacted passengers traveling between July 12-18 on United-operated services within the same cabin and cities as originally booked.
Elsewhere Republic logged additional cancellations today while American Airlines reported numerous delayed flights.
This week's disruption comes during one of the busiest months for air travel in the U.S., according to the Department of Transportation which notes that summer travel demand has exceeded pre-pandemic levels leaving little room for recovery when operations are disrupted.
Severe weather had already been impacting airports since late June causing increased disruptions across North America according to Cirium an aviation analytics company reporting a rise in cancellations compared to last year due largely to thunderstorms and flash flooding.
Meteorologists warn that more storms are expected across the Northeast and Midwest through midweek suggesting further interruptions may occur in coming days.