US Airlines Cancel Thousands of Flights as Hurricane Beryl Hits Texas

Airlines across the US have canceled more than 1,400 flights due to the ongoing disruption caused by Hurricane Beryl. Data released earlier today by the flight tracking website FlightAware reported a total of 1,479 flights canceled and 2,254 flights delayed.

Busy domestic airports such as William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) and major international hubs, including George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), were significantly affected. The total number of flight cancellations at these three airports were:

• IAH: 1,015 cancellations
• HOU: 308 cancellations
• DFW: 78 cancellations

With its significant presence in the area, United Airlines was the most affected carrier, canceling 405 flights, followed by Southwest Airlines with 268 cancellations. Other affected airlines included regional carriers such as Mesa Airlines, CommuteAir, and SkyWest Airlines, which operate flights on behalf of major carriers like United Airlines and American Airlines.

In a statement published by Reuters, United Airlines said, "We are continuing to monitor Beryl and have reduced flying at Intercontinental Airport of Houston (IAH) Sunday night and Monday." United Airlines issued a travel advisory, allowing passengers to reschedule their flights at the affected airports without change fees and fare differences for travel up to July 16, 2024. Southwest Airlines offered similar flexibility, with rebooking allowed within 14 days of the original travel date.

Hurricane Beryl has battered parts of the Caribbean and Mexico and made landfall as a category one storm in Texas near Matagorda on Monday. Although it has been downgraded to a tropical storm, its strong winds and torrential rains have caused massive disruption, knocking out power for millions and leading to at least ten fatalities. Ground stops have been enforced at airports throughout Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina, pausing the flow of aircraft.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport, a major hub for United Airlines, has seen significant disruption. United’s route network covers much of North and Central America and includes long-haul services to destinations like London Heathrow (LHR), Sydney (SYD), Paris (CDG), and Amsterdam (AMS). The disruption has extended beyond the US, with Air Canada canceling services between George Bush Intercontinental Airport and its hubs in Toronto (YYZ), Montreal (YUL), and Vancouver (YVR).