Flight cancellations hit three-year high

The Points Guy said on June 3 that U.S. flight cancellations in 2025 reached their highest level in three years, citing U.S. Department of Transportation data and warning travelers heading into summer 2026 to expect a tougher operating environment. (thepointsguy.com) The travel site said cancellations rose nearly 15% from 2024 and tied the increase to severe weather and a fall government shutdown that forced airlines to cut flights at major hubs during an air traffic control staffing crunch. Bureau of Transportation Statistics records support the broad timing of that claim. (bts.gov) BTS says its annual airline on-time rankings run through 2025, while its underlying on-time database now includes monthly data through March 2026. ### How big was the increase in cancellations? The Points Guy said 2025 cancellations “surged nearly 15%” versus 2024. The report described that as the highest level in three years, a comparison drawn from DOT performance data used in its annual airline reliability analysis. (thepointsguy.com) BTS defines the data set behind those rankings as monthly on-time reports filed by large airlines. The agency says flights count as on time if they depart or arrive less than 15 minutes behind schedule, and its annual tables allow year-to-date and full-year comparisons across carriers. (bts.gov) ### What did the report blame for the disruptions? The Points Guy pointed to two main pressures in 2025: severe weather and the fall government shutdown. The article said the shutdown was the longest on record and required airlines to cut flights at dozens of busy hubs because of a critical air traffic control staffing crunch. (thepointsguy.com) The Federal Aviation Administration has separately told travelers to check airline flight status and the agency’s airport-status system for real-time disruptions. In a recent statements page, the FAA said additional airport updates are also posted through its public channels. (bts.gov) ### Which carriers held up best? The Points Guy said Allegiant Air, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines led in reliability based on 2025 data. It said Allegiant stood out on cancellations and baggage handling even as the broader industry posted weaker results. (thepointsguy.com) The BTS annual rankings page does not itself summarize those carrier-by-carrier findings in the snippet available publicly, but it does show that 2025 annual rankings are published and available through the agency’s on-time tables. ### Why are travelers being warned now? (faa.gov) The Points Guy said 2026 has already brought “a bit of a headache of its own,” even after the 2025 increase in cancellations. The article advised travelers to book morning flights, use airline apps for updates and rebooking, and know their refund rights under DOT rules. (thepointsguy.com) That advice tracks with the structure of the federal data. BTS updates monthly performance records on delays, cancellations and diversions, and its current database runs through March 2026, giving travelers and analysts an early read on whether disruptions are carrying into the new year. (bts.gov) ### Where can travelers check the numbers themselves? The Bureau of Transportation Statistics publishes annual airline on-time rankings through 2025 on its airline on-time tables page. The agency also maintains a separate TranStats database with detailed flight statistics, including cancellation and diversion fields, with data available through March 2026. (thepointsguy.com) The FAA said travelers should also monitor real-time airport status as summer traffic builds. The Points Guy article was published June 3, 2026, and the federal BTS database is the next stop for readers who want to track whether cancellation and delay trends continue into the rest of the year. (transtats.bts.gov) (thepointsguy.com) (bts.gov)