Flight Delays And Airport Impacts: November 24, 2025

Published on Nov 24, 2025, 8:36 am CST

11 min read

Key points

Thunderstorms around Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field plus isolated storms near Memphis, low clouds in Atlanta and San Francisco, and low visibility in Salt Lake City are the main weather drivers of US airport delays November 24 2025
The FAA operations plan makes ground stops or ground delay programs probable for Dallas and possible for San Francisco and Newark from late morning into the evening, on top of en route thunderstorms in Texas and the Gulf region
Winds around Boston and the New York terminal area, a temporary suspension of flexible routing in Washington center airspace, and long running runway and taxiway closures at Orlando, Seattle, Denver, Nashville, Chicago Midway, Palm Beach, and San Diego will trim peak time capacity
Thanksgiving week storms and record holiday demand mean even modest delays can cascade, so travelers should favor early flights, longer connections, and resilient routings through major hubs
Shutdown era flight caps at 40 high impact airports have ended, but air traffic control staffing remains tight and special events such as Las Vegas Formula 1 traffic and Bay Area stadium flyovers still add friction to today's schedule

Impact

Where Delays Are Most Likely: Dallas Fort Worth, Dallas Love Field, Memphis, Atlanta, San Francisco, Newark, Boston, New York area airports, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Seattle, Orlando, Denver, Nashville, Chicago Midway, Palm Beach, and San Diego face the highest combined risk from storms, wind, low ceilings, construction, and event traffic
Best Times To Fly: Early morning and late evening departures remain the least exposed, while late morning through evening banks at Dallas, San Francisco, Newark, and Orlando carry the greatest risk of ground programs and long taxi queues
Connections And Misconnect Risk: Tight connections through Dallas, Atlanta, San Francisco, Newark, Boston, New York, Seattle, Orlando, and Denver are vulnerable, especially for itineraries linking domestic legs to Florida, Caribbean, Mexico, or transatlantic flights
Onward Travel And Changes: Travelers pairing flights with same day cruises, long distance trains, or resort transfers should assume arrival delays at the most affected hubs and consider arriving a day early or building wide buffers
What Travelers Should Do Now: Check airline apps and the FAA delay tools before leaving home, move to earlier or longer connection options where seats exist, avoid last flights on critical legs, and review backup routing or overnight plans if your trip runs through Dallas, San Francisco, or Newark

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Travelers flying in the United States on Monday, November 24, 2025 are walking into the first true crunch day of the Thanksgiving travel week, with storms, low clouds, and construction all shaping US airport delays November 24 2025. Thunderstorms in Texas are already in the Federal Aviation Administration's plan for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dallas Love Field (DAL), isolated storms are in the forecast for Memphis International Airport (MEM), and low clouds and visibility issues are expected to slow operations at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). On top of that, the FAA's operations plan points to likely ground stops or ground delay programs at Dallas and possible programs at San Francisco and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) as traffic builds later in the day.

In practical terms, the US airport delays November 24 2025 pattern is one of storms around the Texas hubs, wind around Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and the New York airports, and low ceilings at Atlanta and San Francisco, all layered over a system that is no longer bound by shutdown flight caps but is still tight on staffing and stretched by record Thanksgiving demand.

Dallas, Memphis, And The Texas Storm Corridor

The FAA's current operations plan leaves little doubt that north Texas is the main domestic pinch point today. The advisory notes that thunderstorms in the Fort Worth, Houston, and Memphis en route centers will shape traffic flows, and it flags a possible ground stop for Dallas Fort Worth and Dallas Love Field after 0300 Zulu, followed by a probable combination of ground stops and ground delay programs after 1200 Zulu, which corresponds to the late morning and afternoon push in the Central time zone.

At the same time, the FAA daily air traffic report highlights thunderstorms that could slow flights at Dallas Fort Worth, Dallas Love Field, and Memphis, confirming that both local weather and broader airspace constraints are pulling in the same direction. For travelers, that means any itinerary that connects through the Dallas airports or Memphis after midmorning should be treated as higher risk, especially if it relies on a tight layover or connects to long haul flights into Mexico, Central America, or the Caribbean.

If you are booked through Dallas or Memphis today, the safest moves are straightforward. Where possible, shift to earlier departures out of your origin, aim for connections of at least two to three hours, and avoid last departures of the day on regional spokes that do not have backup flights. If you are connecting from Dallas into holiday sun markets in Florida or Mexico, assume that storms and en route reroutes could cascade into gate holds and missed connections even if your airline has not yet issued a formal weather waiver.

San Francisco, Las Vegas Events, And Western Hubs

On the West Coast, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is again in the FAA's problem set. The daily air traffic report calls out low clouds in San Francisco, and the operations plan explicitly lists SFO for possible ground stops or ground delay programs after 1630 Zulu, or late morning local time, as the marine layer and banked arrivals converge. That is particularly important for transcontinental and transpacific itineraries that rely on a midmorning or midday connection through San Francisco, since even modest metering can cut down the number of usable fallback flights if something slips.

Event traffic adds another layer of friction. The operations plan notes Formula 1 event volume in the Las Vegas terminal area, which affects Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) and nearby fields, through 1900 Zulu on November 25, as well as a brief airspace closure window for pyro and a flyover near Levi's Stadium that touches Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC). Those special use blocks will not shut down the western network on their own, but they do tighten margins when combined with low ceilings in San Francisco and a busy holiday schedule into and out of California.

Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Denver International Airport (DEN) also remain affected by construction and runway closures that reduce flexibility during peak traffic periods. The FAA plan lists one runway at Denver closed into November 27, a primary runway at Seattle closed into November 27, and additional taxiway construction that stretches into early December, all of which chip away at how quickly those hubs can clear departure and arrival banks when weather or volume spikes.

Travelers using West Coast hubs today should assume that midmorning through early evening banks are the most vulnerable. Early morning departures from Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas remain the best bet, particularly for long haul trips that cross multiple hubs, and travelers connecting to Hawaii or Asia may want to leave extra time in San Francisco or Los Angeles in case a ground delay program squeezes the schedule.

New York, Boston, And Northeast Routing Limits

In the Northeast, the story is less about thunderstorms and more about wind, volume, and routing constraints. The FAA operations plan lists wind as a terminal constraint for Boston Logan and the New York terminal area, which includes John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), and Newark Liberty International Airport. Newark in particular is flagged for a possible ground stop or ground delay program after 1800 Zulu, which lines up with the late afternoon and evening departure wave to Florida, the Midwest, and Europe.

En route, the plan highlights the continued suspension of the North American Route Program in Washington center airspace through November 30, limiting the flexible routings that normally help carriers dodge congestion between the Northeast and Florida or the Gulf Coast. There are also oceanic route closures off the Northeast coast into the early morning hours that can add track miles and complexity to transatlantic flights.

For passengers, that means trips touching Boston or any of the New York airports carry a higher risk of gradual, schedule wide delay rather than sudden, headline grabbing ground stops. A 20 or 30 minute arrival delay into Newark can easily erase a 50 minute domestic connection, and European departures pushed back by winds, crowded departure corridors, or oceanic reroutes can force missed onward trains or tight hotel check in windows. Building at least 90 minutes between domestic legs and three hours for domestic to long haul international connections is a reasonable target for today's Northeast flights.

Construction, Runway Closures, And Canadian Connections

Beyond weather and volume, the FAA's operations plan reads like a long checklist of construction projects that continue to reduce capacity at key hubs. Orlando International Airport (MCO) has Runway 36L and 18R closed until late on November 24, Seattle Tacoma has a primary runway and multiple taxiways closed into late November and early December, Denver is operating with one major runway down until November 27, and Nashville International Airport (BNA) faces multiple runway and taxiway closures until December 10.

Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) is still under runway and taxiway rehabilitation through the end of the year, Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) is operating without Runway 14 and 32 until early January, and San Diego International Airport (SAN) remains in a major construction phase into February 2026. None of these closures guarantees disruption, but together they shrink the margin for error. When low clouds or holiday volume hit, the lack of spare runway capacity can turn what would have been short queues into prolonged departure and arrival holds.

The FAA plan also notes an active ground delay program at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) through the early hours, which matters for travelers on transborder itineraries that rely on Toronto as a connection point into the United States, the Caribbean, or Europe. If you are routing through Toronto today, especially on tight banked connections into US hubs, it is worth checking live delay statistics and considering a longer layover.

How Today Fits Into The Wider Thanksgiving Pattern

Today's constraints do not exist in a vacuum. National holiday travel forecasts project that roughly 81.8 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over Thanksgiving, including more than 6 million air travelers, while US airlines expect to carry around 2.8 million passengers per day over the peak window with more than 360,000 flights scheduled. Meteorologists and airline planners have been warning for days that two storm systems could intersect with that volume, one soaking Texas and the southern Plains before spreading into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, the other bringing rain and snow into parts of the West, the Upper Midwest, and the interior Northeast.

At the same time, shutdown era flight caps that once forced airlines to trim schedules at 40 major US airports have been lifted. The FAA ended its emergency order on November 17, allowing carriers to rebuild frequencies at hubs in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver, and San Francisco, although staffing gaps and system fragility remain. Our previous pieces on shutdown flight caps and the Thanksgiving storm setup provide a deeper structural backdrop, but for today's traveler the key takeaway is simple. More seats are available, yet the combination of heavy demand, complex weather, and lingering staffing strain means the network has little slack if something goes wrong.

Compared with November 23, when Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Denver were more central to the delay picture, November 24 shifts the bullseye squarely toward Dallas and its storm corridor, while keeping a close eye on San Francisco, Newark, and the Northeast winds. Anyone flying through those hubs should treat today as a dress rehearsal for the heavier disruptions likely on November 25 and 26.

Practical Tips For Travelers On November 24

For flights on Monday, November 24, the most important step is to give yourself room to maneuver. If you can move to an earlier departure from your origin, especially for connections through Dallas, Atlanta, San Francisco, or Newark, do so, because first wave flights are more likely to leave on time and give you more fallback options if delays develop later in the day.

Next, treat short connections as a luxury the system does not support well. Aim for at least two hours between domestic flights through the most affected hubs and three hours where a domestic leg links to an international or long haul flight. This is particularly important if your itinerary connects to Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico, or Europe, where missed banks can turn into long waits for the next available departure.

Third, lean heavily on digital tools. Airline apps and text alerts remain the fastest way to see gate changes, rolling delays, and equipment swaps, while the FAA's delay map and National Airspace System Status page show whether your hub is under a ground stop, a ground delay program, or simply operating with minor slowdowns. Check those before leaving for the airport, then again at the gate, and be ready to rebook yourself through alternative hubs if your first connection starts to wobble.

If your trip involves onward travel such as a cruise departure, an escorted tour, or a long distance train, assume that today's delays could eat into ground buffers. Where possible, arrive in your embarkation city at least a day early, and use flexible transfer options that allow retiming without heavy penalties. Adept Traveler's evergreen Guide To US Airport Delays And Cancellations offers a more detailed breakdown of insurance, backup planning, and rebooking strategies that can cushion the impact if disruptions escalate later in the week.

Finally, remember that today is only the opening act of the Thanksgiving storm window. Even if your November 24 flights arrive close to on time, treat the experience as a live systems check for the rest of your holiday travel. Make sure your apps are configured correctly, test your ability to rebook quickly, and take note of where your itinerary is most exposed to weather, volume, or construction. Doing that now, while the system is strained but still functioning, will make it easier to adapt if storms and traffic hit harder on November 25 and 26.