U.S. airlines have been effectively handling the holiday travel season, experiencing relatively few disruptions, thanks in part to generally favorable weather conditions. However, Southwest Airlines faced some difficulties over the Christmas weekend, though these issues were not as severe as the operational collapse the carrier experienced the previous year.
From December 21 through Christmas Day, U.S. airlines canceled a total of 861 flights, representing only 0.8% of their schedules, according to FlightAware. Additionally, 17.4% of flights were delayed. These figures are notably better than the overall cancellation rate of 1.2% for U.S. airlines this year and their 2023 late-arrival rate of 20.7%.
The calm weather across much of the U.S. has been advantageous for airlines, but careful scheduling and increased staffing redundancy have also likely contributed to the strong performance. The eastern half of the country experienced unseasonably warm weather over the weekend, with The Weather Channel reporting the least snow coverage on Christmas Day in over two decades.
Southwest Airlines, specifically, cited dense fog at Chicago Midway, its fourth-busiest airport, as the primary cause of its cancellations over the weekend. The airline canceled 559 flights from December 21 to December 25, which amounted to 2.6% of its schedule, and delayed 26.1% of flights. Southwest has since stated that they are operating a normal schedule at Chicago Midway and across their network, with full staffing and all gates open and fully operational.
As of Tuesday, airlines had a good start, with only 79 flights into, out of, or within the U.S. canceled by just after 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, as reported by FlightAware.
This year's holiday season is expected to be among the busiest on record, with a 16% increase in passengers per day over last year, according to the trade group Airlines for America.
