by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
February 16, 2026
The journey difficulty stemmed from a mixture of high-volume disruptions, climate, and operations.
Amid the most recent authorities shutdown, a number of cities and airports are coping with hundreds of delays and cancellations over President’s Day weekend.
The cancellations have affected airports in main U.S. cities, together with Chicago, Los Angeles, and Orlando, inflicting many vacationers to hit a floor cease on their journeys. These cities confronted the best difficulty on the airports, as extreme flight delays occurred to and from these widespread locations.
Nonetheless, the explanations behind the botched journey stem past federal management. Throughout airways similar to American, Southwest, Delta, and Spirit, over 2,000 flights confronted delays, primarily as a result of a mixture of extreme climate, operational points, and excessive airport volumes.
In line with information from Journey and Tour World, cities similar to Dallas/Fort. Value space noticed a median flight delay of 45 minutes, with over 300 thunderstorm-induced flight disruptions. On the identical time, Miami Worldwide Airport had comparable common delay occasions, with almost 80 flights impacted, primarily as a result of terminal operations and capability constraints.
One other metropolis and main airline hub, Denver, had its personal bout of disrupted journey as a result of climate, in addition to stops by means of New York Metropolis’s JFK airport and San Francisco Worldwide Airport, carrying their very own ripple results.
Whereas the difficulty might not be instantly associated to the partial authorities shutdown, vacationers ought to anticipate extra turbulence within the skies because the closure freezes funding for the Division of Homeland Safety. The DHS oversees TSA, which means officers at airport safety must forego pay till the shutdown ends.
The shutdown is predicted to final till lawmakers on each side of the aisle can agree on a DHS funds, with the largest pressure coming from present ICE funding. Overseen by the DHS, the rise of ICE-related violence, in addition to protests in opposition to the immigration enforcement company, has prompted Democratic congressmembers to refuse any extra funding for the enterprise.
Nonetheless, the shutdown’s influence on air journey might not happen instantly. Regardless of this, vacationers, particularly forward of spring break, ought to put together and stay versatile if their plans go awry as a result of airport-related points.
With the federal government at a standstill, vacationers can count on much more points in any respect airports. Following final 12 months’s historic shutdown, many airports are gearing up for longer wait occasions at safety screenings as TSA workers really feel the pressure of working at decreased capability with out pay.
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