Travelers Are Facing Brutal Delays And Cancellations At This Major Airport This Winter

As the famous festive classic begins: "Oh, the weather outside is frightful!" And that couldn't be closer to the truth for some holiday season travelers right now. Winter is here and so are snowy days and flight delays. Travelers planning a perfect last-minute winter vacation may want to have a Plan B up their sleeves, especially with the brutal delays and cancellations popping up at major U.S. airports this winter.

Although it may be easier to know how to prepare for unexpected bad weather while camping, predicting the outcome of the weather on your date of travel is near impossible. On December 14, 2025, travelers transiting through New York's LaGuardia International Airport (LGA) experienced extreme delays and cancellations, throwing wrenches into travel plans. A harsh snowstorm made for less than ideal conditions, causing the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to issue a ground stop for hundreds of departing and arriving flights.

Delays and cancellations during horrible wintery conditions are nothing out of the ordinary, however worldwide, LaGuardia was the biggest culprit when it came to departing and arriving delays. According to FlightAware, which provides live stats for delays and cancellations, LaGuardia experienced a staggering 226 cancellations on departing flights, along with 205 cancellations for arriving flights on December 14. Delayed flights were reported to have reached 42% for departures and 45% for arrivals.

With Delta Air Lines having the highest number of flights out of the New York airports, it's no shock that Delta experienced the second-most flight cancellations worldwide on December 14 with 246 cancellations, and its delays totaled 1,017 due to the ground stop and weather conditions. Delays and cancelation continued to trickle down on Monday, December 15 at both New York airports, with LaGuardia announcing that dozens of both departing and arriving flights had been canceled. 

With rising temperatures in the New York City area expected to reach the 40s and then 50s by Thursday, flyers are hoping everything gets resolved with better weather on the horizon. However, with winter not even having technically started yet, travelers coming into and out of LaGuardia may be in for a rough season. 

As a traveler, what can you do when delays or cancellation arise unexpectedly? Booking cancellation and travel insurance should be your first priority as soon as you book your flight. Extreme weather can put a damper on travel plans at any given moment, so if your flight is delayed or cancelled, here's how you can get a refund on your hotel.