US airport flight delays and cancellations climbed sharply on Tuesday, when FlightAware listed 1,886 delays and 52 cancellations involving flights within, into or out of the nation as of 6:45 p.m. EDT. Travelers facing the disruption were told to check with their airlines before leaving for the airport and to allow extra time.
FlightAware's Tuesday count
Earlier on Tuesday morning, FlightAware had reported about 800 U.S.-related delays and 32 cancellations. By 6:45 p.m. EDT, the delay total had risen by 1,086 flights, or about 136 percent, while cancellations increased by 20, or 62.5 percent.
Worldwide, FlightAware listed more than 12,000 delays and 730 cancellations on Tuesday. That means the U.S.-related delays accounted for roughly one in six of the global delay total reported by the service, while the cancellation total in the nation remained a small share of the worldwide figure.
FAA weather warning
The FAA said low clouds could delay flights at Denver International Airport, San Diego International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The warning points to the airports where landing rates can be reduced when cloud ceilings are low, which can ripple through schedules beyond those fields.
The FAA did not attribute every delay or cancellation recorded by FlightAware to weather, and airlines typically adjust schedules throughout the day as weather, air traffic volume, aircraft availability and crew scheduling affect operations. For passengers, that leaves the practical step unchanged: check the flight status again before heading out, since conditions at low-cloud airports can change quickly.
