CHICAGO- Nearly 2,200 total flights were canceled across the United States on Saturday and Sunday (November 30, 2025) as a strong winter storm disrupted Thanksgiving return travel.
Major carriers, including United Airlines (UA), American Airlines (AA), Delta Air Lines (DL), Southwest Airlines (WN), and others, issued weather waivers while key hubs such as Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Chicago Midway (MDW), Milwaukee Mitchell (MKE), and St. Louis Lambert (STL) reported widespread schedule disruption.
The system threatened to dump up to a foot of snow or more across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes.
Preemptive cancellations began as early as Friday evening, with about 80 flights already grounded for Sunday well before the storm arrived, impacting what was expected to be one of the busiest Thanksgiving travel periods ever.
Midwest Winter Storm Cancels 2,200 Flights
A fast-moving winter storm swept through the Midwest and Great Lakes at the peak of Thanksgiving return traffic, triggering cascading cancellations across major airports.
According to flight tracking data, 1,898 flights were canceled on Saturday, and 7,596 were delayed as of 11:10 PM EST, with 300 more cancellations already logged early Sunday.
Reported by The Points Guy, the disturbance hit after a notably calm run-up to the holiday, sharply reversing strong travel performance days earlier.
The heaviest impacts were concentrated in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Chicago O’Hare (ORD) saw more than 1,100 combined departures and arrivals canceled, representing over 40% of Saturday’s schedule.
Across the city, Chicago Midway (MDW) recorded approximately 240 cancellations, nearly 35% of the day’s flights. Milwaukee Mitchell (MKE) lost about one-third of its Saturday operations, while Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) canceled more than half of its schedule.
Des Moines International (DSM) and Dane County Regional (MSN) also logged cancellation rates above 30%.
Additional Airports Facing Significant Cancellations
Multiple regional airports throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes were impacted, including:
- St. Louis Lambert International (STL)
- Omaha Eppley Airfield (OMA)
- Green Bay Austin Straubel (GRB)
- Traverse City Cherry Capital (TVC)
- Quad Cities International (MLI)
- South Bend International (SBN)
- Fort Wayne International (FWA)
- Peoria International (PIA)
- Waterloo Regional Airport (ALO)
While the storm was expected to move east on Sunday and away from most major air hubs, road travel remained a concern across Pennsylvania and upstate New York.
Airlines also cautioned that residual cancellations and rolling delays may continue as crews reposition and operations reset through the region.
Airline Waivers and Passenger Advisory
Most major carriers issued flexible rebooking policies for travelers affected by the storm. Waivers were made available from American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Sun Country, and United.
Passengers scheduled to fly on Saturday or Sunday were advised to verify flight status before heading to the airport, as gate assignments, departure times, and aircraft swaps may change rapidly during recovery operations.
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