United States severe weather keeps summer air travel shaky as airlines extend waivers
Airlines are still keeping weather waivers in place for Midwest and Northeast hubs as severe storms raise the risk of delays, cancellations and reroutes.
Summer air travel is still getting knocked around by severe weather across the U.S., and airlines are still using weather waivers to give travelers some flexibility. United said its Midwest severe-weather waiver was active June 16 for airports including Chicago O’Hare, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and St. Louis. Delta issued a separate Northeast inclement-weather bulletin June 11 for travel to or through Baltimore, Boston, Chicago Midway, Chicago O’Hare, JFK, LaGuardia, Newark and Washington-area airports.
The practical effect is simple: if your trip connects through a storm-hit hub, expect delays, cancellations or reroutes even when skies look calmer at your home airport. Weather waivers can let passengers change plans without the usual fee, but the rules vary by airline, ticket type and travel date.
The National Weather Service is still highlighting severe weather and heavy-rain risks in parts of the Midwest and South, with damaging wind, hail, tornadoes and flash flooding among the active alert types. For travelers, that matters because storm systems can upend schedules far from where a flight starts or ends.
Recent storms show how quickly schedules can unravel
AP reported that ground stops were issued at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports and at John F. Kennedy International in New York, while Pittsburgh International had a temporary power outage after a storm surge. AP also said more than 1,000 flights going into and out of Chicago were delayed or canceled. The National Weather Service office in Chicago said the June 10 storm line was a derecho that brought widespread wind damage across northern Illinois.
For travelers in the next day or two, the safest move is to recheck your reservation, airport status and weather alerts before leaving for the airport. A waiver can make a bad travel day easier, but it does not guarantee a smooth trip if the storm system keeps moving.
