Hundreds of flights faced cancellations or delays on Tuesday following powerful storms that battered the eastern United States and Canada, severely disrupting air travel in multiple cities. Travelers encountered further delays at security checkpoints due to staffing shortages from a partial government shutdown.
These interruptions occur during peak travel season, with airports packed by spring break vacationers and fans traveling to March Madness NCAA basketball tournaments. Flight-tracking data from FlightAware shows nearly 900 flights into, out of, or within the U.S. canceled by Tuesday morning, alongside almost 1,800 delays.
Storm Impacts Major Airports
Delays and cancellations surged Monday at key hubs like New York, Chicago, and Atlanta airports. The storm system brought heavy snow to the Midwest before advancing to the East Coast, where winds gusted near 50 mph (80 km/h) in parts of New York, according to the National Weather Service.
Toronto Pearson International Airport reported dozens of delays for flights to various North American destinations. The Federal Aviation Administration issued ground stops at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson and Charlotte Douglas airports, plus ground delays at New York’s JFK and Newark Liberty airports, citing severe weather.
Nationwide, Monday’s cancellations included about 600 flights at Chicago O’Hare International, over 470 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, and more than 450 at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport.
Travelers Share Stranding Stories
Kelly Price, heading home to Colorado from a family vacation in Orlando, Florida, saw her Sunday night flight canceled early Monday. “By that time the only place for us to sleep was the airport floor. So we’re all tired and frustrated,” she said. Her family booked the earliest available flight for Tuesday afternoon.
Danielle Cash became stranded in snowy St. Louis while returning to Tampa, Florida, from a Las Vegas trip. “It was 80 degrees in Tampa when I left and then going to Vegas. And it was 90 degrees in the desert,” she noted. She now faces extra hotel costs and a rerouted flight via Tennessee, arriving Tuesday afternoon.
In Atlanta, Mel Stewart and his wife arrived four hours early for their Hartsfield-Jackson flight to account for extended security lines. “I think it’s being politicized way too much — way too much,” Stewart said of the shutdown. “And these people are working. They work hard, and for TSA people not to get paid, that’s silly.”
TSA Staffing Strains Worsen Lines
The storms coincided with Transportation Security Administration screeners missing their first full paycheck amid the partial shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security. This marks the third such shutdown in under a year, with back pay delayed until funding resumes.
Homeland Security reports over 300 TSA agents have resigned since the shutdown began on February 14. Staffing shortages stem from workers taking second jobs, facing transportation issues, or leaving the field. Longer lines have emerged at various airports.
TSA union leaders in Atlanta warned of worsening wait times during a Monday news conference outside Hartsfield-Jackson. Aaron Barker, a local leader with the American Federation of Government Employees, stated: “Many TSA workers are coping with eviction notices, vehicle repossessions, empty refrigerators and overdrawn bank accounts.” Supporters displayed signs reading, “We want a paycheck, not a rain check.”
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport advised passengers to arrive three hours early due to shutdown impacts. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport shared video of security lines extending outdoors at 5:30 a.m. local time.
