More than 1,000 U.S. flight delays Thursday

NBC News reported Thursday morning that storms stretching from Texas to the Northeast had already caused more than 1,000 flight delays within, into or out of the United States as Memorial Day travel accelerated. AAA has projected 45 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday, May 21, and Monday, May 25, setting a holiday record. (nbcnews.com) The combination of severe weather and peak demand is hitting airlines and airports at the start of one of the year’s busiest travel windows. (mwg.aaa.com) In the New York region, LaGuardia and Newark were already reporting delays as local disruptions added to the national strain. (upi.com) ### Where are the storms causing the biggest travel problems? NBC News said Thursday’s weather threat ran from Texas into the Northeast, with flooding concerns in multiple regions as the holiday weekend began. The outlet reported that the storm system was already interfering with airline schedules nationwide by morning. Dallas-Fort Worth was among the airports dealing with storm-related fallout earlier in the week. The Arizona Republic reported Thursday that hundreds of flights to and from Dallas had been canceled on May 19 and May 20 because of severe weather, with effects spilling into connecting routes. (nbcnews.com) ### Why are delays getting attention now? AAA said the Memorial Day forecast period runs from Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25, and covers travelers going at least 50 miles from home. The group said the 45 million estimate is slightly above last year’s 44.8 million and would set a new record for the holiday. (nbcnews.com) More than 39 million of those travelers are expected to drive, according to coverage of the AAA forecast, but the air system still faces concentrated pressure because weather disruptions can cascade across hubs and connecting airports. FlightAware’s airport-delay and MiseryMap pages were active Thursday as live tracking tools for delays and cancellations across the U.S. network. (azcentral.com) ### What is happening at New York-area airports? LaGuardia Airport was dealing with a separate infrastructure problem after a sinkhole was discovered near a runway during a routine inspection on Wednesday, UPI reported. The runway issue caused delays and cancellations on Thursday and was expected to keep operations constrained into the day. (mwg.aaa.com) NorthJersey.com reported Thursday that Newark Liberty and LaGuardia were both posting delays as weather and the runway problem combined to disrupt traffic in the region. NY1 also reported cancellations at LaGuardia, quoting travelers whose plans were pushed back after the runway closure. (thehill.com) ### Is Newark seeing the same kind of disruption? Newark Liberty was being hit mainly by thunderstorms rather than runway damage. NorthJersey.com said it was tracking delay and cancellation totals there on Thursday, while local and trade coverage described mounting disruptions tied to storms moving through the area. (upi.com) Travel and Tour World reported 284 delays and 22 cancellations at Newark affecting several carriers, including United and American Airlines, though those figures should be read as a snapshot from a fast-changing operating day. (northjersey.com) ### What should travelers watch next? Thursday, May 21, is the first day of AAA’s Memorial Day travel window, and the forecast runs through Monday, May 25. NBC News said the weather threat remains focused on a corridor from Texas to the Northeast, while airport-specific conditions at hubs such as LaGuardia and Newark were still changing through the day. Travelers can monitor airline alerts, airport status pages and live delay trackers as conditions evolve into the weekend. (northjersey.com) (nbcnews.com) (simpleflying.com)