Winter Storm Fern Causes 11,000+ Flight Cancellations Across U.S. Hubs
A massive winter storm named Fern caused nearly 11,000 flight cancellations and widespread power outages across the U.S., severely disrupting major airports and air travel nationwide.
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Nearly 11,000 flights were canceled worldwide Sunday as a massive winter storm pummeled much of the United States, with more than 10,300 cancellations on routes within, into or out of the country — the worst single‑day air travel disruption since the COVID-19 pandemic.abcnews +1 Airlines scrubbed roughly 30% of all U.S. departures as snow, ice and high winds shut down or severely restricted operations at major hubs from Atlanta to Newark.livenowfox
The storm, widely referred to as Winter Storm Fern, also knocked out power to more than 800,000 customers across multiple states, further complicating airport and ground operations.reuters Flight-tracking firm FlightAware reported more than 12,000 delays in addition to the cancellations, as the system swept from the Southern Plains through the Midwest and into the Northeast.abcnews
How the Storm Crippled Key Hubs
Major connecting airports bore the brunt of the chaos, amplifying disruptions nationwide. Atlanta’s Hartsfield‑Jackson — the world’s busiest airport — saw more than 1,000 flights canceled Sunday, while Newark Liberty recorded roughly 1,100 cancellations as heavy snow and ice hit the New York–New Jersey region.abcnews +1 Philadelphia International reported more than 600 canceled flights, and Charlotte Douglas logged hundreds more, with some local tallies also surpassing 1,000.abcnews +2
Because most U.S. carriers operate hub‑and‑spoke networks, shutdowns at these hubs cascaded across the map, grounding flights in cities with clear skies as aircraft and crews were knocked out of position.abcnews International services were also hit: Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways and Air India all canceled U.S.-bound flights over the weekend amid worsening conditions.travelmarketreport +1 Several Brazil–U.S. routes and transatlantic services into New York and Newark were also scrubbed.abc11 +1
Airlines’ Pre‑Emptive Cancellations and Official Warnings
Forecasters at NOAA’s National Weather Service had warned days earlier of an “unusually large and severe” winter storm bringing heavy snow, extensive freezing rain and “dangerously cold air” across more than 30 states.abc11 +1 The FAA said it anticipated ground delay programs, reroutes and ground stops, stressing that it does not close airports or cancel flights but expected airlines and airports to do so for safety.abc7chicago
U.S. carriers responded by rolling out broad travel waivers and cutting schedules ahead of the worst weather. Delta, American, United, JetBlue, Southwest and others encouraged travelers to rebook, with Delta saying it intended to run a “reduced schedule” while repositioning de‑icing crews and reserve staff to speed recovery.travelmarketreport +1 American added more than 3,000 extra seats on select routes Saturday in an attempt to move passengers before conditions deteriorated.whyy Despite those steps, more than 13,000 flights were canceled across Saturday and Sunday combined.cbsnews +1
The Bigger Picture
The scale of Sunday’s meltdown invited comparisons to both pandemic‑era shutdowns and 2025’s FAA‑related government‑shutdown disruptions, underscoring how vulnerable modern air networks remain to large, slow‑moving storms.abcnews +1 With Arctic air expected to prolong icy conditions into early week, airlines face a delicate reset: restart too quickly and risk renewed chaos, move too slowly and strand passengers even longer. For travelers, the lesson was stark and immediate — when a storm of Fern’s size targets multiple hubs at once, even those flying far from the snow zone can find their plans frozen.
abcnews FlightAware live cancellations data, Jan. 25, 2026
reuters Reuters, Jan. 25, 2026
livenowfox LiveNow Fox, Jan. 25, 2026
abc11 NOAA / National Weather Service, Jan. 24, 2026
abc7ny USA Today weather coverage, Jan. 22–23, 2026
cbsnews CBS News flight disruption reports, Jan. 24–25, 2026
abc7chicago FAA General Statements, Jan. 23, 2026
travelmarketreport Delta, American and international airline statements, Jan. 23–25, 2026
wbtv CBS Philadelphia, Jan. 25, 2026
nytimes NJ.com flight coverage, Jan. 25, 2026
abc7chicago Queen City News / WBTV, Jan. 25, 2026
oklahoman Travel and Tour World, Jan. 25, 2026
abc11 VisaHQ / Brazil–U.S. travel advisory, Jan. 24, 2026
wbir Air India statements, Jan. 25, 2026
cbsnews Delta News Hub, Jan. 24–25, 2026
whyy American Airlines operations update, Jan. 24, 2026
wjtv CNBC, Jan. 23, 2026
nhregister The Straits Times and U.S. coverage of 2025 FAA flight‑cut disruptions