Summary

  • Hurricane Beryl has caused more than 1,400 US flight cancelations and 2,200 delays.
  • Major airports like IAH, HOU, and DFW were affected, with United Airlines hit hardest.
  • Airlines offered flexibility for passengers to reschedule flights without fees, while the storm caused power outages and loss of life.

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

IAH Airport

Photo: Houston Airports

Busy domestic airports such as William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) were affected, in addition to several major international hubs, including George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). The total number of flights canceled at these three airports (departures and arrivals) was:

  • IAH – 1,015 cancelations
  • HOU – 308 cancelations
  • DFW – 78 cancelations.

United Airlines has been most severely affected

With its significant presence in the area, it is perhaps no surprise that United Airlines was the most affected carrier, with 405 flights canceled, followed by Southwest Airlines with 268 canceled flights. Other airlines affected included the regional carriers Mesa Airlines, CommuteAir, and SkyWest Airlines, which operate flights on behalf of major carriers such as United Airlines and American Airlines.

United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 (N27287) taking off from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

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 went on to issue a travel advisory, allowing passengers to reschedule their flights at the affected airports without change fees and fare differences. The carrier will permit such changes for travel up to July 16th, 2024. Southwest Airlines has offered its passengers a similar level of flexibility, with rebooking allowed within 14 days of the original travel date.

Ongoing disruption across the region and beyond

Beryl has battered parts of the Caribbean and Mexico and earlier on Monday made landfall as a category one storm in Texas near the town of Matagorda. Although it has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, its strong winds and torrential rains have caused massive disruption, knocking out power for millions of people across the region, and leading to the loss of at least ten lives.

 Southwest Boeing 737-8 MAX airplane at Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) in the United States

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

As a result of the extreme weather conditions experienced in recent days, ground stops have been enforced at airports throughout Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina. A ground stop is issued by air traffic control to slow or pause the flow of aircraft at a given airport.

Read more:

Severe Weather Causes Ground Stops At Atlanta, Houston & Charlotte Airports

The flight disruptions come as Southeast Texas braces for the arrival of Hurricane Beryl on Monday.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport is a major hub for United Airlines, with the carrier’s route network covering much of North and Central America, as well as a handful of longhaul services to the likes of London Heathrow (LHR), Sydney (SYD), Paris (CDG), and Amsterdam (AMS). The disruption has been felt further afield too. Air Canada, for example, has already canceled services between George Bush Intercontinental Airport and its hubs at Toronto (YYZ), Montreal (YUL), and Vancouver (YVR).

Has your flight been disrupted by Hurricane Beryl? How have your travel plans been impacted? Let us know by commenting below.

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