Charlotte Douglas airport delays, cancellations mount due to Northeast blizzard
A blizzard socking Northeastern states is causing waves of delays and cancellations at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Monday from the “major nor’easter.”
Around 5:30 p.m. Monday, 158 flights had been cancelled and 93 had been delayed, including more than 80 American Airlines flights, according to FlightAware.
On Sunday, there were 357 delays and 88 cancellations at CLT. So in the past two days, the storm has caused 696 flights to be delayed or cancelled in Charlotte, one of the world’s busiest airports.
Nationwide, more than 6,000 flights have been cancelled, most of them headed for major airports in New England, New York and Philadelphia, tracking shows.
Cancellations are likely to mount during the day Monday due to heavy snow and high winds continuing in the Northeast.
And the misery is expected to continue on Tuesday. As of 5:30 p.m. Monday, close to 50 flights have been cancelled already for Tuesday, according to FlightAware.
About the Northeastern blizzard
The “historic” storm rapidly intensified over the weekend off the Delaware/New Jersey coastline, and it is expected to bring “very heavy snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour” to the region, along with gusts of 40 to 70 mph, the National Weather Service reportedly early Monday.
The heaviest snowfall is expected between 4 a.m. and noon Monday, officials said. High-end estimates could top 30 inches in the Boston area, with 75 mph gusts, forecasters say.
American Airlines and the blizzard
American Airlines is the largest provider of flights at CLT, accounting for 90% of flights at the sixth-busiest airport in the world.
Officials are monitoring conditions for Winter Storm Hernando. A travel alert was issued for the weather. The airline is allowing customers traveling to, through and from Eastern Seaboard destinations to change their flight plans with no fees.
This includes more than a dozen airports in regions impacted by the storm: Baltimore, Boston, Hampton/Newport News, Hartford, New York (Kennedy and LaGuardia airports), Newark, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Providence, Richmond, Virginia, Washington D.C. (Dulles and Reagan airports) and White Plains/Westchester County in New York.
Travelers may receive a fee waiver if they bought tickets by Feb. 19 for travel dates scheduled between Sunday, Feb. 2,2 and Wednesday, Feb. 25. This change is for travel between Feb. 20 and Feb. 28.
Customers can’t change their origin or destination city. They can also rebook in the same cabin or pay a fee difference for changes.
Changes must be booked by Feb. 25. Travel must be completed within one year of the original ticket date. A difference in fare may apply. For more information visit aa.com.
Extreme winter weather conditions in Boston, New York and Philadelphia led to American suspending operations in the region, starting Sunday, American said. The airline said it was planning to restart operations at D.C.’s Washington Reagan by Monday morning and for Philadelphia by Monday afternoon.
Operations in Boston and New York’s JFK and LaGuardia airports are scheduled to resume Tuesday afternoon.
Airline workers are working “around the clock,” American said. They will be ready to resume operations at affected airports, as quickly as possible, pending weather conditions.
“The safety of our customers and team members remains our top priority, and we will continue to track this system closely to minimize disruptions and keep travelers informed,” American said in a statement.
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 7:21 AM.