(C) Jetsetter Guide

NEW YORK — A severe winter storm sweeping across the US Midwest brought the Thanksgiving holiday travel weekend to a chaotic close on Friday (Nov. 29, local time), forcing the cancellation of over a thousand flights and delaying thousands more. The blizzard conditions created a major headache for millions of Americans attempting to return home following the peak travel period of the year.

According to data from the flight tracking website FlightAware, a total of 1,830 flights with US origins or destinations were canceled as of 1:30 PM Eastern Time on Friday. Furthermore, an astonishing 3,810 flights were delayed, with cancellations and delays expected to climb further throughout the afternoon and evening.

O'Hare Airport Bears the Brunt of Cancellations 

The majority of the flight disruptions were concentrated at major hubs in the Midwest, with Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, one of the nation’s busiest airports, bearing the brunt of the cancellations—accounting for nearly half of all US flight groundings.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground delay order for flights heading to O’Hare early Friday due to heavy snow and icy conditions. The order resulted in average delays of up to five hours for inbound aircraft.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued warnings for a massive winter storm impacting a broad swathe of the region. States including Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Michigan were forecast to receive significant snowfall, with some areas bracing for 15 to 35 centimeters (6 to 14 inches) of snow through Saturday morning. The NWS Chicago office advised extreme caution for drivers as snow accumulation was expected to increase through the night.

Airbus Recall Threat Minimized 

The air travel industry had faced a separate potential threat to weekend operations after aircraft manufacturer Airbus issued a mass recall order on Thursday for its flagship A320 series aircraft, citing a software issue.

However, major foreign news agencies, including AFP and dpa, reported on Friday that a speedy response and software upgrade implementation by Airbus and airlines successfully mitigated the crisis. No significant operational disruptions or large-scale cancellations stemming from the Airbus recall were reported at global airports, ensuring the primary cause of the current chaos remained the severe weather conditions in the US Midwest.

The snowstorm serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of air travel infrastructure during peak holiday periods, particularly when faced with unpredictable and extreme winter weather.

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