In recent weeks, Delta Air Lines’ on-time crown has been called into question due to multiple issues. Delta faced ground shutdowns and a complete network outage, leading to mass cancellations at Detroit Metropolitan Airport earlier this month.
Looking to optimize its performance during the holiday season, Delta experienced an up and down weekend.
The airline had a good day on Saturday, limiting both delays and cancellations. The airline experienced delays on only 19% of its flights on Saturday, behind competitors such as Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines.
However, it was a different story on Sunday, as Delta recorded hundreds of cancellations due to stormy weather conditions at 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 New York airports and for America’s largest airlines.
A ground stop has been issued by the FAA at LaGuardia International Airport
Ground stops were made Sunday at some of the largest U.S. airports due to winter conditions. Snow and icy warnings were the main reasons for ground stops at LaGuardia International Airport and John F. Kennedy Airport.
The ground shutdown was issued by the FAA for both hubs at 8 a.m. and pushed back flights by several hours.
The FAA said in its ground shutdown announcement: “Due to snow or ice, some arriving flights are delayed an average of three hours and 16 minutes, not to exceed four hours and 53 minutes.”
In total, there were 9,565 delays entering, arriving in or leaving the United States on Sunday, representing the highest number of disruption issues so far this month. FAA ground stops at New York’s two airports are a big reason why.
For arriving and departing flights, LaGuardia (LGA) had the most cancellations in the world. The airport recorded 226 cancellations of departing flights, as well as 205 cancellations of arriving flights, according to Aware of theft. As for delays, 42% of departing flights were delayed, as were 42% of arriving flights.
Like LaGuardia International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport has had its own setbacks, with 363 delays for departing flights. More than half of its total departures take place on Sundays, or 51%. John F. Kennedy International Airport also recorded 150 departing flight cancellations and 123 arriving flight cancellations.
It was a day to forget for New York’s major airports and their passengers. As expected, this would cause delays for some of the major US carriers.
Delta Air Lines experienced 1,017 delays and more than 200 canceled flights on Sunday
At John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, Delta Air Lines offers the most flights from the hubs. Last year, Delta had 41% market share at LGA, according to Single flight. The same goes for JFK Airport, with the highest passenger volume.
Given the problems at New York airports, this would inevitably have an impact on Delta Air Lines. This resulted in the second most canceled flight in the world.
Delta Air Lines recorded 246 cancellations, just behind Republic, which recorded 352.
As for delays, Delta experienced 1,017 during the day, impacting 29% of its flights. This number was actually lower than its biggest competitors. Southwest Airlines ended 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 have had fewer cancellation issues than Delta.
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Most airline cancellations on December 14, 2025: |
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1. Republic: 352 |
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2. Delta Airlines: 246 |
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3. Endeavor Air (DAL): 199 |
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4. JetBlue: 111 |
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5. Volaris: 111 |
JetBlue also faced its own challenges Sunday, a major airline at JFK Airport. The airline recorded delays on 58% of its flights on Sunday, as well as 111 cancellations.
Canceled flights will continue until Monday, with some of the major airlines already planning several cancellations.
Delta Air Lines cancellations continued through Monday
Early Monday morning, Delta Air Lines announced the highest number of flight cancellations with 73. JetBlue also announced 29 canceled flights.
One of the main reasons for the early morning number is the fallout at both New York airports.
LaGuardia announced 19 cancellations on departing flights so far this morning, as well as 29 on arriving flights. JFK Airport has 57 total cancellations so far.
Both airports are expected to experience delays again today, but not to the same extent as Sunday.
