Thousands of flights delayed as bad weather threatens Eastern US
Aug 8, 2023, 8:30 AM
(CNN) — More than 9,000 flights have been impacted by the severe summer storms that are pounding the eastern United States.
Over 8,200 flights were delayed in the US on Monday, according to data from FlightAware, and more than 1,600 US flights were cancelled.
Delta Airlines had around 400 cancellations, or 11% of its schedule, and more than 1,200 flight delays, according to FlightAware.
“Due to continued severe weather that impacted our Atlanta hub, Delta teams are working hard to recover the operation and we apologize to our customers who’ve experienced delays to their travel plans,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported it was slowing flights headed towards New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. area airports because of thunderstorms. It warned of impacts this afternoon to flights from Florida north to New York due to the storms. Around 120 million people in the Eastern US could be impacted by severe weather Monday.
While the weather may be to partly to blame, these delays and cancellations have been par for the course for months now. Staffing shortages affecting airlines and traffic control personnel have caused ground stops throughout the summer travel season. The FAA said today it has limited ability to direct New York flights north through Canadian airspace because of “staffing issues” in Canada.