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Early on Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration had already issued ground stops at three major U.S. airports. The major airlines, like United Airlines and American Airlines, took precautions, extending flexible rebooking options to passengers for flight cancellations.

By the end of the day, ground stops had hit ten different airports on the East Coast. On Wednesday morning, cancellations continued, with more disruptions in New York, New Jersey, Washington and Boston.

U.S. Airports With The Most Departure Cancellations On July 22

Both delays and cancellations were heavy throughout Tuesday. Cancellations neared the 3,000 mark, the highest number of the week, as major airlines scrambled to address delays and rebook passengers.

Powerful storms hit the East Coast on Tuesday. New York and New Jersey faced several threats, including flash flooding, isolated tornadoes, hail and damaging winds. Even a tornado watch was issued for the New York City metro area.

As a result of the East Coast storms, cancellations surged across the United States. According to FlightAware, 2,813 flights within, into or out of the United States were cancelled on Tuesday.

Ground stops issued by the FAA halted flights at multiple East Coast hubs. LaGuardia had the most cancellations on both departing and arriving flights. John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport all hit over 300 flight cancellations due to flight stoppages.

U.S. Airports That Faced Ground Stops On July 21

• Boston Logan International Airport
• Baltimore/Washington International Airport
• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
• Newark Liberty International Airport
• Westchester County Airport
• John F. Kennedy International Airport
• Washington Dulles International Airport
• LaGuardia Airport
• Philadelphia International Airport
• Teterboro Airport

Overall, there were 7,319 delays within, into or out of the United States on Tuesday. Airports outside of the East Coast were also affected by disruptions. Chicago O’Hare International Airport had the most delays among all U.S. airports. Additionally, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport also saw increases in both cancellations and delays.

For passengers, it was a tough day of travel, particularly on the East Coast. Travelers were reportedly stuck on tarmacs for hours, while delays left many wondering when and if they would arrive at their destinations.

How Passengers Reacted To Delays In New Jersey And New York

Matt Higgins was one of the travelers who faced the “apocalyptic” weather in New York. The flyer confirmed that a full ground stop was issued at LaGuardia, halting all flights.

“NYC weather is apocalyptic these days. As I sit on runway at LaGuardia in full ground stop of all airports. Tornadoes touching down in NJ. Subway flash floods. Florida has hurricanes. But NYC has the 7th sign,” he wrote on X.

Traveler Michael Friedman was instead stuck on a flight at Newark Liberty International Airport for over two hours. The passenger says there were no updates on when the flight to San Francisco would depart.

“Anyone else stuck on the ground, on a plane, at JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, or Newark Airport in NY area?? I am!! Over 2 hours now delay at Newark Airport. No idea if or when this flight will leave for San Francisco.”

Taking a flight with JetBlue, Ariana Jasmine was on one of the 386 flights that were delayed by the carrier on July 21. JetBlue also had cancellations on 300 flights. Jasmine says she was delayed at JFK by over four hours.

“At JFK right now and JetBlue has cancelled 50+ flights and the airport is CHAOS. My flight has been delayed for 4 hours now,” she wrote.

It was a frustrating experience for passengers throughout Tuesday. As for the major U.S. airlines, the situation wasn’t any easier. The carriers scrambled to rebook thousands of passengers on the East Coast.

Delta, American Airlines And JetBlue Faced Hundreds Of Cancelled Flights

All four of the major U.S. carriers, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, extended flexible rebooking options to passengers, waiving the change fees at multiple East Coast hubs.

Delta in particular extended its rebooking at nine different U.S. hubs to July 22, 2026.

Delta wrote in its advisory, “To support customers during the inclement weather expected to affect the Northeastern region of the United States, travel to, from, or through the destinations listed below may be affected. Check flight status frequently for up-to-the-minute information about your flight plans, or get updates sent directly to your mobile device or by email with One-Time Notification.”

Although Delta has the highest volume of flights at LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airport combined, it was Republic, American Airlines and JetBlue that had more cancelled flights on July 21.

U.S. Airlines With The Most Cancelled Flights On July 21

Flight disruptions are expected to carry over into Wednesday. The major East Coast airports will aim to minimize delays compared to Tuesday, after the FAA grounded flights at 10 different East Coast hubs.