On Saturday, July 25, 1,956 flights were cancelled worldwide. It has been a heavy week of disruptions nationwide, particularly at East Coast airports. However, on Saturday, the majority of the delays were for flights to China. Due to Tropical Storm Noul, hundreds of flights were cancelled, affecting the major airlines worldwide.
Airlines With The Most Delayed Flights On July 25
|
Rank |
Airline |
Delays |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
American Airlines |
1,003 |
|
2 |
China Eastern |
999 |
|
3 |
China Southern Airlines |
897 |
|
4 |
easyJet |
848 |
American Airlines was affected by international flight disruptions and issued a flexible rebooking offer to passengers at two international airports in Hong Kong and Madrid. American Airlines’ offer is valid through July 26 for travel to the destinations.
Airports Across China Increased Cancellations Due To Tropical Storm Noul
Typhoon Noul made landfall in southern China on Saturday in Huidong County, Guangdong Province. Dangerous winds reached 90 mph. Over 340,000 people across Guangdong were evacuated. Along with hundreds of flight cancellations, rail services were suspended in Guangdong.
Other parts of China also felt the effects, including Hong Kong, a major international hub for several U.S. airlines including American Airlines. On Saturday, Hong Kong International Airport finished in the top three for most cancelled flights. All the airports in the top five are based in China.
Airports With The Most Departure Cancellations On July 25
|
Rank |
Airport |
Cancellations |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport |
214 |
|
2 |
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport |
164 |
|
3 |
Hong Kong International Airport |
155 |
|
4 |
Jieyang Chaoshan Airport |
73 |
|
5 |
Beijing Capital International Airport |
43 |
The major U.S. airlines did react by offering customers flexible rebooking. American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines all extended the rebooking offer for flights at Hong Kong International Airport. In addition to Hong Kong, American Airlines also provided passengers with a rebooking offer for flights to Madrid due to the wildfires.
American Airlines Warned Passengers About Travel To Hong Kong And Madrid
American Airlines will waive the change fees for flights to Hong Kong for travel on July 25 and July 26.
On its travel alerts page, American Airlines advises customers to book the change by July 26, 2026, in order to be eligible for the offer.
American Airlines’ Rebooking Terms For Hong Kong
- Are traveling on an American Airlines flight
- Are booked in any fare class, including Basic Economy
- Bought your ticket by July 24, 2026
- Are scheduled to travel July 25 – 26, 2026
- Can travel July 25 – 29, 2026
- Don’t change your origin or destination city
- Rebook in the same cabin or pay the difference
Additionally, American Airlines added a rebooking option for flights to Madrid, Spain. The offer is available between July 25 and July 26. Once again, the flight must be rebooked by July 26, 2026.
How American Airlines Passengers Reacted To The Weekend Flight Disruptions
Although American Airlines kept cancellations low on Saturday at just three, its delays were the highest among all airlines. According to FlightAware data, the carrier delayed 27% of its flights. Meanwhile, the U.S. airline closest to its delays was Southwest Airlines at 813, affecting 21% of its total flight volume.
AA customers reacted to the weekend flight disruptions. Shawn Hinkle was one of the frustrated passengers out of Orlando International Airport. The traveler took exception to the lack of updates during the delays.
“No wonder @AmericanAir continues to hemorrhage customers. Poor customer service, lack of communication, etc. When a clear flight will be delayed, communicate. Instead, you keep us guessing when it’s boarding time & no plane at gate..,then don’t enforce boarding rules for MCO flight,” Hinkle wrote on X.
American Airlines did take the time to respond. The carrier addressed the passenger’s frustrations, apologizing for the lack of communication.
American Airlines responded, “We’re sorry for the lack of communication and understand how frustrating it is when boarding time approaches and there are no updates, especially when the aircraft hasn’t arrived. We also appreciate your feedback regarding the boarding process. Please send us your confirmation code via DM, so we can document your concerns and take a closer look.”
Another traveler on X said that they also faced a cancellation with American Airlines that caused a missed connection to Rome. Along with the cancellation, the passenger’s luggage was not delivered once they arrived at the destination.
“American Airlines is giving us the runaround after cancelling our flight from CA, thus missing our connection to Rome causing us to to miss our cruiseship. 3 days later, we got to the ship on Day 2 of the cruise, but AA did not deliver our luggage till Day 7. All I’m asking for is reparations for the money we spent on clothing and incidentals while our luggage was “missing” and damages.”
As of early Sunday morning, American Airlines had 46 delays and three flight cancellations. The major airports and carriers out of China once again have the most cancelled flights on Sunday morning, with disruption numbers expected to steadily decrease in the coming days.

