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Air Travel Takes a Hit as Storms Cancel 850+ Flights Nationwide

A brutal wave of storms has slammed through major hubs, causing over 850 flight cancellations and more than 5,000 delays across the country.


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Summer Storms Cancel 850+ Flights

Not a great time to be flying, unless you love sitting in airports with nothing but overpriced snacks and dead phone batteries. A nasty line of storms just tore through major U.S. cities, grounding flights left and right. We’re talking 865 cancellations and over 5,000 delays, and it’s still going.

Where’s the worst of it? Think big: Dallas, New York, Boston, Chicago, and Atlanta are seeing the most action. Airlines like Delta, Endeavor, Frontier, American, and Spirit are struggling to keep up as thunderstorms, lightning, and poor visibility mess with everything from takeoff to baggage claim.

Airports taking the biggest hit:

  • Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW): Heavy rain and lightning = chaos. American Airlines is really feeling it here.

  • Atlanta (ATL): Over 600 delays. Delta’s hub got drenched and wind-blasted.

  • New York (JFK & LaGuardia): Flights stacked up with more than 100 canceled, and rain just keeps coming.

  • Detroit (DTW): Soaked runways and visibility issues—lots of Endeavor flights grounded.

  • Boston & Chicago: Storms moving through, and delays are piling up fast.

Airlines encountering cancellations/delays

  • Endeavor Air keeps showing up in delay reports, especially up north.

  • Delta

  • American

  • Spirit

  • Frontier

  • JetBlue

Basically, if you’re flying domestic, expect hiccups. Even some international flights are off schedule thanks to the weather ripple effect.

So what should you do?

If you don’t have to travel, maybe wait this one out. If you do need to fly, keep checking your flight status like it’s breaking news. Sign up for airline alerts, charge your devices, and bring snacks, the good ones, not just granola bars. And maybe mentally prepare to spend some quality time at your gate.

This kind of weather doesn’t clear up overnight, so expect the delays to roll into the next few days.

Travel insurance is important

These delays and cancellations are just another reminder at how important travel insurance can be.

When flights get canceled or delayed, travel insurance can help cover hotel stays, rebooked flights, meals, and even luggage issues. If you booked with a premium credit card, you might already be covered.

Cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the Platinum Card® from American Express, and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card include some aspect of built-in travel insurance, just make sure you used the card to pay for your trip. Always read the fine print, but it’s one of those things that feels totally worth it when your travel day turns into an airport sleepover.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

75,000 Bonus Points

Offer Details:

Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Why we like it

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is the ultimate all-around travel credit card—it fits perfectly into almost any points-earner’s wallet. Points novices can enjoy a significant intro bonus and easy to grasp spending categories with an approachable annual fee. The more experienced can utilize its high value earning potential as a secondary card and also gain access to Chase’s strong travel booking portal.

  • 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.

  • 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries.

  • 2x on all other travel purchases.

  • 1x on all other purchases.

  Pros

  • The $50 dollar hotel credit for stays purchased on the Chase Travel Portal already cuts the already approachable $95 annual fee significantly.

  • 10% anniversary points boost – each account anniversary you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.

  • Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.

  • Along with all of the above, cardholders also have access to a string of travel protections like rental coverage, cancellation insurance, and purchase protection.

  Cons

  • It’s subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. So, if you’ve opened five cards in the last two years, you’re most likely not going to be accepted.

  • Competing cards like the Capital One Venture have a better earning rate for non-bonus spend.

  • Chase has a once-per-lifetime rule for sign-up bonuses on their Sapphire cards, including the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and Sapphire Reserve for Business. So, once you’ve earned a welcome bonus on any of these cards, you’ll never be eligible for the bonus again on the same card.

Terms Apply

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

75,000 Bonus Miles

Offer Details:

75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Why we like it

The Capital One Venture X is a direct competitor to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and for many seeking a simpler earning scheme with premium perks, it could be the better option. But the Venture X truly shines with one benefit in particular: four free authorized users. Plus, every year on your cardholder anniversary you get 10,000 points to use for travel. 

  • 10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel

  • 5 Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel

  • 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase

Pros

  • Its solid intro bonus of 75,000 miles is worth well over $1,000 when transferred to partner airlines and hotels, or a flat rate $750 when redeemed on the Capital One Travel Portal.

  • Cardholders get a bonus of 10,000 miles each year after their first account anniversary, which is nothing to shrug off, especially when a little bit short of that business class flight. It’s worth almost $200 depending on how you use it. 

  • The $300 annual credit for purchases made on the Capital One Travel Portal, combined with the yearly free miles, more than annul the $395 annual fee.

  • Four authorized users can be added for free.

  • Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™  lounges, after enrollment

  • A generous offering of travel insurance, protections and reimbursements round out an excellent array of benefits.

 Cons

  • The $300 credit is a bit less flexible than the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s comparable benefit.

  • Miles earning is the same as the Sapphire Reserve on portal-based purchases, but less on general travel spending.

  • Capital One transfer partners are solid, but still don’t include any US-based airlines or hotels.

Terms Apply

The Platinum Card® from American Express

As high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points

Offer Details:

You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.

Why we like it

The Amex Platinum was once the sole dominating force in the luxury credit card space. While it now faces some stiff competition, it still offers unbeatable perks like unprecedented airport lounge access, elite status at Hilton and Marriott, and some outstanding statement credits making the mammoth $695 worth it for some.

  • Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year

  • Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®

Pros

  • Earn as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

  • Incredible lounge access

  • Statement credits worth over $1,000 annually. 

  • Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.

  Cons

  • The $695 annual fee is brutally high. Too high for many that can’t, or don’t want to take full advantage of its benefits.

  • Points-earning rates are low unless spending directly on flights or with the Amex Portal.

  • Some of the benefits, like travel credits, are more limited and are harder to use than competing cards’ offerings.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. This post contains references to products from one or more of our partners and we may receive compensation when you click on links to those products.

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