Charlotte airport flight delays, cancellations top 1,000 a day after winter storm
Winter Storm Fern continues to cause stress for passengers at the Charlotte airport, with hundreds of flights canceled on Monday.
As of 6 p.m. Monday, Charlotte Douglas International Airport reported 543 cancellations and 478 delays, according to FlightAware, a website that provides real-time flight information. That’s 1,021 flight disruptions so far on Monday.
CLT had 140 delays and 459 cancellations on Saturday. The totals rose on Sunday, with 151 delays and 1,168 flights canceled. So between Saturday through Monday so far, there have been a total of 2,939 delayed or canceled flights.
The airport remains busy as always, even with lingering headaches from the storm. It ranks sixth in the world for takeoffs and landings, according to Airports Council International preliminary rankings.
Over the weekend, the storm brought a mix of snow, sleet ice and freezing rain that began Saturday evening and continued into Sunday. CLT saw 1,625 canceled flights and 294 delayed flights on Saturday and Sunday combined.
Charlotte Douglas was listed Sunday as the fourth most affected airport for travel disruptions, according to FlightAware’s Misery Map.
CLT airport storm recovery work
The airport remains open and operational, according to a post on CLT’s social media.
Before noon, Charlotte airport officials announced that they were moving towards normal operations, but delays and cancellations were still expected. This is due to weather impacts and flight crew availability.
Snow crews have cleared runways, taxiways, roads, sidewalks and pedestrian areas, the airport reported. Aircraft deicing operations continue as needed.
Airport shuttle buses are running on a reduced schedule and are moving more slowly for safety reasons. The upper levels of the parking decks and the CLT Airport Overlook remain closed until further notice.
Airport officials are encouraging all travelers to verify their flight status with their airline before heading to the airport.
American Airlines adjusts schedule due to Winter Storm Fern
The majority of passengers at CLT are served by American Airlines, which accounts for 90% of the flights at the airport. Charlotte Douglas is the company’s second-largest hub.
Before the storm, the airline waived change fees for the weekend for those traveling to, from, or through Charlotte.
To help travelers during Winter Storm Fern, American also added more flights to and from CLT, according to a Friday night announcement. On Saturday, the airline provided 3,000 extra seats for flights between Charlotte and Chicago ahead of the storm.
In total, American added 6,200 extra seats at its main hubs, including Charlotte and Dallas-Fort Worth. By doing this, the airline aimed to give passengers more options to reach their destinations and avoid being stranded due to the bad weather.
Customers can find more information and manage their travel plans at aa.com or by calling reservations at 800-433-7300.
This story was originally published January 26, 2026 at 9:49 AM.
