More than 930 flight delays and cancellations occurred on August 11, 2026, at major U.S. airports including Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and New York area hubs John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) amid severe summer thunderstorms. Chicago O’Hare alone registered over 120 canceled flights and more than 400 delays by 2 p.m. EDT, while JFK and LaGuardia combined saw upwards of 100 cancellations and 250 delays. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed ground stops at JFK, LGA, and Newark the previous day due to thunderstorm activity, exacerbating operational challenges.
American
Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and JetBlue Airlines issued weather-related waivers allowing affected passengers to reschedule travel without change fees or fare differences. American Airlines waived these fees for travelers with tickets purchased by August 9 for itineraries through ORD, JFK, LGA, and EWR from August 10 to August 13. United Airlines enabled fee-free rebooking for Chicago departures on August 11 with new travel dates allowed through August 14 in the same cabin. Delta’s waiver applied to tickets issued on or before August 10 with travel through August 13 at New York metro airports including JFK, LGA, EWR, and
Westchester County Airport (HPN). JetBlue’s policy covered flights on August 10 and 11 touching JFK, LGA, EWR, HPN, ISP, or Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), with rebooking permitted through August 15. All carriers urged travelers to use their mobile apps or online portals for managing changes before arriving at airports.
Passengers flying through the affected hubs on August 11 should expect flight delays and cancellations due to ongoing heavy rainfall and line storms impacting Chicago and the New York metropolitan region. The coordinated response by major airlines waiving change fees and fare differences aims to ease passenger disruptions in the
wake of the FAA’s ground stop restrictions and severe weather conditions.
