Airlines Cancel More Than 1,300 Flights as Storms Slam East Coast

After a brutal July for air travelers, Monday was a fresh reminder along the U.S. East Coast that summer thunderstorms mixed with air traffic staffing shortages result in rampant flight delays and cancellations. 

A line of storms affected operations at major airports from Boston to Atlanta on Monday afternoon.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, the nation's busiest air hub, was among 10 East Coast airports where the Federal Aviation Administration imposed ground stops Monday evening for inbound flights owing to thunderstorms. All three of the main airports in New York and Washington DC, along with Philadelphia and Montreal-Trudeau, were affected by the traffic-management programs, with the holds in place.

Departure delays were also increasing as the severe weather moved east.

Delta Air Lines canceled nearly 11% of its daily schedule with more than 20% delayed as of 5 pm ET, largely due to a second day of thunderstorms that marred operations in Atlanta, its largest hub. Republic, a regional carrier that flies heavily on the East Coast for Delta, saw one-fifth of its Monday schedule canceled.

Atlanta had 330 cancellations and 87 diverted flights, in the two days ending Monday, according to Anuvu Pulse aviation data. On Monday alone, airlines canceled more than 1,300 U.S. flights, according to FlightAware. 

In their second-quarter earnings calls with analysts, executives of multiple U.S. airlines, including United, Spirit, Frontier, and JetBlue, cited the summer weather as a financial headwind given the expenses associated with widespread delays and cancellations.