Delta Air Lines’ Major Hub Sees Flights Completely Halted: FAA Issues Ground Stop And Cancels Hundreds Of Flights
In recent weeks, Delta Air Lines’ “on-time” crown has been challenged due to multiple issues. Delta has faced ground stops and a complete network outage, leading to mass cancellations at Detroit Metro Airport earlier in the month.
Looking to optimize performance during the holiday season, Delta saw an up-and-down weekend.
On Saturday, the airline had a strong day, limiting both delays and cancellations. The airline had delays to just 19% of its flights on Saturday, behind its competitors such as Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines.
However, it was a different story on Sunday, as Delta saw hundreds of cancellations due to stormy weather at the major New York airports.
Here’s a closer look at the ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, and the delays it caused at the New York airports and for the biggest U.S. airlines.
A Ground Stop Was Issued By The FAA At LaGuardia International Airport
Ground stops were issued at some of the biggest airports in America on Sunday due to winter weather. Snowfall and ice warnings were the main reasons for ground stops at LaGuardia International Airport and John F. Kennedy Airport.
The ground stop was issued by the FAA for both hubs at 8 am, and pushed flights back by multiple hours.
The FAA said in its ground stop announcement, “Due to snow or ice, this is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of three hours and 16 minutes, not exceeding four hours and 53 minutes.”
In total, there were 9,565 delays within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday, the most disruption issues so far this month. The FAA’s ground stops at both New York airports was a major reason as to why.
For both arriving and departing flights, LaGuardia (LGA) had the most cancellations worldwide. The airport saw 226 cancellations on departing flights, along with 205 cancellations for arrivals, according to FlightAware. As for delays, 42% of departing flights were delayed, as were 42% of arriving flights.
Like LaGuardia International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport faced its own setbacks, with 363 delays for departing flights. More than half of its total departures are on Sunday, at 51%. John F. Kennedy International Airport also saw 150 cancellations on departing flights and 123 cancellations on arrivals.
It was a day to forget for the major New York airports and their passengers. As expected, this would lead to delays for some of the top U.S. carriers.
Delta Air Lines Experienced 1,017 Delays And More Than 200 Cancelled Flights On Sunday
Passengers at a Delta Air Lines check-in desk at an airportCredit: Unsplash
At both John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, Delta Air Lines has the largest number of flights out of the hubs. Last year, Delta had 41% of the market share at LGA, according to Simple Flying. The same holds true for JFK Airport, with the largest by passenger volume.
Given the issues at the New York airports, this was bound to impact Delta Air Lines. It resulted in the second-most-cancelled flights worldwide.
Delta Air Lines had 246 cancellations, just behind Republic, which had 352.
As for delays, Delta experienced 1,017 on the day, impacting 29% of its flights. This number was actually lower than its biggest competitors. Southwest Airlines finished the day with the most delays at 1,361, while American Airlines followed with 1,177. Even United Airlines had more delays than Delta, with 1,051.
However, all three airlines had fewer cancellation issues than Delta.
Most Airline Cancellations On December 14, 2025:
1. Republic: 352
2. Delta Air Lines: 246
3. Endeavor Air (DAL): 199
4. JetBlue: 111
5. Volaris: 111
JetBlue also faced struggles of its own on Sunday, a major airline at JFK Airport. The airline saw delays to 58% of its flights on Sunday, along with 111 cancellations.
The cancelled flights will carry into Monday, with some of the major airlines already scheduling multiple cancellations.
Delta Air Lines’ Cancellations Have Continued Into Monday
Delta Airlines sign and symbol in the wall of Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport.Credit: via Shutterstock
As of early Monday morning, Delta Air Lines has announced the most flight cancellations with 73. JetBlue also has 29 cancelled flights announced.
A major reason for the early morning number is fallout at both New York Airports.
LaGuardia has announced 19 cancellations on departing flights so far this morning, along with 29 on arriving flights. JFK Airport has 57 total cancellations so far today.
It is expected that both airports may experience delays again today, but not to the same extent as on Sunday.
