Just yesterday, Delta Air Lines warned of more cancellations for the weekend after slashing more flights than any other airline for the second day in a row. Today, the airline continues to see a difficult day of operations.
The problems haven’t been confined to one airport. Delta entered the weekend dealing with disruptions across several major cities after a week of storms and air traffic restrictions.
However, attention has shifted to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where thunderstorms disrupted hundreds of flights Friday, and more unstable weather is moving through Saturday.
Atlanta is Delta’s largest hub, handling nearly 1,000 of the airline’s departures on peak days. That means a prolonged slowdown at ATL can affect passengers far beyond Georgia, including travelers connecting through the airport or waiting for aircraft and crews scheduled to arrive from Atlanta.
Delta Air Lines’ Two-Day Disruption Count Has Passed 1,000
FlightAware’s live data showed Delta topping 1,000 combined delays and cancellations across Friday, July 31, and Saturday, August 1, by early Saturday afternoon.
That total includes flights across the carrier’s entire network, so it isn’t limited to disruptions caused exclusively by Atlanta’s weather. Delta had already encountered problems at several other hubs and destinations before thunderstorms began rolling in at its Georgia hub.
Atlanta’s own numbers nevertheless show a snapshot of how things are going. FlightAware recorded 340 delays and 60 cancellations at ATL on Friday, for 400 total disruptions across all airlines using the airport.
By approximately 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, ATL had already accumulated another 202 delays and 52 cancellations. That brought the airport’s two-day total to at least 654 disruptions, with much of Saturday’s schedule still up in the air.
|
Delta Air Lines Flight Disruptions |
Delays |
Cancellations |
Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Friday, July 31 |
631 |
112 |
743 |
|
Saturday, August 1 (as of about 2 p.m.) |
243 |
100 |
343 |
|
Two-day total at that point |
986 |
212 |
1,198 |
Those airport figures include every carrier operating at ATL, not only Delta. However, Delta has considerably more exposure than its competitors because Atlanta is the center of its network.
Delta says it operates nearly 1,000 peak-day departures from ATL to 207 destinations, including 61 international cities. Even when only part of the airport’s operation is slowed, hundreds of Delta itineraries can be affected directly or indirectly.
More thunderstorms are moving through Atlanta
Friday’s disruptions came as thunderstorms moved through the Atlanta area. Saturday’s forecast offers little immediate relief.
The National Weather Service expected scattered to widespread showers and thunderstorms to begin Saturday morning and continue through Sunday. Some storms could produce frequent lightning, gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall, while slow-moving or repeated storms could create a flash-flood risk.
The official Atlanta forecast near the airport placed the chance of showers and thunderstorms at 40% Saturday afternoon and night. Additional thunderstorms remained possible Sunday, particularly during the afternoon.
Lightning can be particularly problematic at a large hub even when the airport stays open.
Airlines may need to suspend outdoor ramp work to protect employees, temporarily halting baggage loading, aircraft servicing, pushbacks and other ground operations. Thunderstorms around arrival and departure paths can also force aircraft to take longer routes or reduce the number of flights air traffic controllers can safely handle.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s Saturday operations plan listed thunderstorms as a constraint at ATL and said a ground stop or ground delay program could be required through approximately 11 p.m.
Delta Air Lines Issued An Atlanta Weather Advisory Before The Weekend
Delta Air Lines had already warned customers that Atlanta flights could be affected.
The airline posted an Atlanta summer thunderstorm advisory covering travel to, from, or through ATL on August 1 and August 2. Eligible customers can move their trip without paying a fare difference when they rebook in the same cabin and begin their new travel by August 4.
The waiver applies to qualifying tickets issued on or before July 29. Travelers changing their origin, destination or cabin may still have to pay a fare difference, while trips moved beyond August 4 can also become more expensive.
Delta is encouraging passengers to check their status frequently through its website or the Fly Delta app. That advice is particularly important for connecting passengers. A first flight may still show as scheduled even when the aircraft assigned to operate it is arriving late from another destination.
Travelers should also avoid judging the situation only by the weather outside their departure airport. A clear morning in Nashville, Orlando or New York does not prevent a Delta flight from being delayed if its aircraft or crew is caught in an Atlanta disruption.
Why Trouble At ATL Can Spread Across Delta Air Lines’ Network
Delta’s Atlanta operation functions through a series of connecting banks, essentially windows where large groups of flights arrive and depart within relatively short time frames.
When thunderstorms interrupt one of those windows, passengers can miss connections, aircraft can arrive too late to operate their next scheduled segment, and crews can approach contractual or federal duty limits.
The result may be a delay several hours after the storm has already passed. It can also show up at another airport that never even saw any bad weather.
That doesn’t mean every Delta cancellation this weekend is due to Atlanta’s issues. Friday’s disruption was spread across multiple airports, and the airline has recently been navigating weather-related problems in New York, the Mid-Atlantic, and other parts of the country.
Still, ATL’s scale and role as the carrier’s most important hub make it capable of amplifying problems faster than other airports. The increasing cancellation count Saturday may also reflect schedule adjustments made before the worst storms arrive. Airlines sometimes cancel selected flights early to reduce congestion and prevent aircraft or crews from becoming stranded later in the day.
Delta Air Lines Passengers Should Check Their Flight Before Leaving For The Airport
Passengers traveling through Atlanta this weekend should keep checking their reservation, even if their flight currently appears to be on time.
Delta’s waiver gives eligible travelers an opportunity to move away from the August 1 and 2 weather window. Passengers with more flexible travel plans may find that preferable to waiting for a possible last-minute cancellation or a missed connection at ATL.
Travelers continuing with their scheduled itinerary should allow for extra time, keep medication and essential belongings in their carry-on, and avoid checking anything they may need during an unexpected overnight stay.
Passengers should also remember the difference between refund rights and expense reimbursement. When an airline cancels a flight or makes a significant schedule change, travelers who decide not to accept the alternative transportation are entitled to a refund to their original payment method under U.S. Department of Transportation rules. That applies regardless of whether the cancellation was caused by weather.
Hotels and meals are different. Delta says it generally doesn’t reimburse those expenses when a cancellation or delay results from weather or air traffic control, since both are considered outside the airline’s control. Its meal, hotel and transportation commitments primarily apply when Delta itself caused the qualifying disruption.
Saturday’s numbers are still coming in, and Atlanta has hours of potentially disruptive weather ahead. So, it’s better to be prepared for a cancellation than caught off-guard and scrambling at the last minute.
