Storm paralyses travel, forcing more than 8,000 U.S. flight disruptions

A powerful winter storm disrupts travel, leading to over 8,000 flight cancellations in the U.S. but operations may resume soon.

U.S. ​airlines are set to add flights on Tuesday (February 24, 2026O), even as they ‌wrestle with thousands of scrubbed flights the ​day after a powerful Northeast winter storm forced ⁠more than 8,000 cancellations and delays.

The storm blanketed parts of the U.S. Northeast, closing roads and cancelling schools.

With cancellations frustrating travelers on ‌Monday (February 23) evening, U.S. carriers including United Airlines said they had early plans to ramp up operations on ‌Tuesday (February 24), but cautioned that conditions remain challenging.

On Tuesday, ‌7% ⁠of U.S. flights are expected to be cancelled, ⁠down from just over 19% on Monday (February 23), according to data from analytics firm Cirium as of late afternoon. A typical day in the ​U.S. domestic market has ‌1% cancellations.

Southwest Airlines said its plan “is on track to start ramping up operations tomorrow, if conditions permit us to safely do so.”

The Dallas-based low-cost carrier canceled about ‌7% of flights on Monday (February 23). That was less ​than its rivals due to the carrier’s limited Northeast exposure.