On Saturday, over 6,000 flights in the US were delayed, and 1,930 were canceled due to thunderstorms and technological issues. The spring break traffic woes continued on Sunday, with 1,540 canceled departures.
The disruption has eased up a little in the new week, but Monday has also seen its fair share of cancellations. Thus far, there are 549 flight cancellations within, into, or out of the United States today, with Spirit Airlines representing the lion’s share.
Spirit cancelations more than over the weekend
According to data from FlightAware, when it comes to airlines, the leader of Monday’s cancellations is pretty straightforward. Ultra-low-cost carrier and heavily Florida-invested Spirit Airlines has canceled 229 departures, which equals 28% of the airline’s total scheduled flights, compared to Saturday’s and Sunday’s 27% of the carrier’s departures.
In second place is hybrid airline JetBlue, with 137 cancellations, or 13% of departures, much better than the 25% of departures on Sunday. However, 241, or 23%, of the carrier’s Monday flights were delayed. Southwest had to cancel 59 flights on Monday, but that accounts for only 1% of the low-cost behemoth’s flights throughout the day.
Southwest Airlines saw much fewer cancellations on Monday but continued to suffer delays. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Single Flying
Meanwhile, Southwest continues to experience lingering technology issues, contributing to the delay of 304 Monday flights at the time of writing, with still some way to go before North America closes up shop for the day. Along with Alaska Airlines, the carrier was also one of the hardest hit over the weekend in numbers of departures, with 520 flights canceled on Saturday, or 14% of its operations.
Suffice it to say that the airline’s social media has been overrun by none-too-happy customers who have somehow been affected by the weekend’s cancellations.
passenger rights
The US Department of Transportation (DoT) requires airlines to offer passengers a refund when they cancel a flight, regardless of the circumstances or type of ticket. Carriers typically prefer to rebook customers on the next available flight, although they are not obliged to accept. The same is true for ‘significant delays’. However, the definition of significant delay is not uniformly applied and may differ from airline to airline.
Airports most affected
The highest number of Monday’s cancellations does not belong to one of The Sunshine State’s airports. Boston Logan International (BOS) takes the top spot, suffering 31 cancellations, which equals 5% of the airport’s departures. However, in second place comes Orlando International (MCO), with 29 cancellations.
At Tampa International Airport (TPA), the passengers of 22 flights (6% of departures) have had to find other means of making it to their destinations. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) has seen 19 departures, or 4%, cancellations. At Miami International (MIA), airlines have canceled 2% of departures, equivalent to 16 flights.
Meanwhile, 22 flights have been canceled from Dallas Love Field (DAL), 20 out of New York JFK, 14 out of New York Newark, and 13 out of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW), to name a few.
Have you been affected by cancellations over the past three days? How has the airline been willing to help? Leave a comment below and share your story.
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