Flights hit by delays
Major US airports are suffering widespread disruption — Newark Liberty reported 168 delays and 10 cancellations affecting routes to Chicago, Miami and Orlando. (travelandtourworld.com) At the same time a severe ‘Kona Low’ winter storm in Hawaii has triggered flooding and more spring‑break travel chaos and cancellations. (travelandtourworld.com)
United, American, Delta, JetBlue and Spirit all logged cancellations at Newark Liberty this week, with local reporting saying United carried the heaviest share across domestic and international routes. (nomadlawyer.org) Flight‑tracking services recorded nationwide disruption during the same period, with FlightAware and industry coverage noting more than 5,400 U.S. flight delays as carriers scrambled to adjust schedules. (flightaware.com) News outlets and TSA reporting tied the backlog to a mix of severe weather and operational strain at security checkpoints amid a partial federal shutdown that affected TSA pay and staffing. (cbsnews.com) In Hawaii, Governor Josh Green declared a state of emergency after a slow‑moving Kona low produced widespread flooding, landslides and road closures across multiple islands. (hawaiimagazine.com) Meteorological monitoring shows the Kona low triggered more than 166 flash‑flood warnings and produced extreme gusts and record daily rainfall in spots such as Hilo, with some reports of wind gusts up to roughly 135 mph. (disasteraware.com) Hawaiʻi’s main airports — HNL, OGG and KOA — reported hundreds of delays and dozens of cancellations, and state tourism officials warned of multi‑million‑dollar revenue hits as spring‑break bookings weakened. (hawaiitribune-herald.com) Major carriers opened weather‑related waivers and flexible rebooking windows (Delta published an East Coast weather waiver for mid‑March), and airlines urged affected passengers to use carrier advisories and online rebooking tools. (adept.travel)
