Flight Delays And Airport Impacts: November 30, 2025

Published on Nov 30, 2025, 9:46 am CST

9 min read

Key points

US flight delays November 30 2025 are driven by snow and surface congestion in Chicago, low clouds from Boston through Washington, and lingering Winter Storm Bellamy impacts
The latest FAA operations plan keeps a ground delay program at Chicago O Hare, warns of possible ground stops or delay programs at Newark, San Diego, and Washington National, and highlights heavy Florida bound traffic and ski country volume
Multiple airspace flow programs and reroutes are managing snowbird flows between the Northeast, Texas, Florida, and the Caribbean, which can add 30 to 90 minutes to some itineraries even when airports show no formal delay
A320 safety recall work continues to pull some narrow body aircraft from schedules, adding planned cancellations on top of weather, construction, and high holiday demand
Travelers should prioritize early departures, add one to three hour buffers for connections through Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Florida gateways, and review Adept Traveler s evergreen guide to US airport delays and cancellations before flying

Impact

Where Delays Are Most Likely: Expect the highest delay risk at Chicago O Hare and Midway, Boston, New York area airports, Philadelphia, Washington National, San Diego, San Francisco, Detroit, Minneapolis Saint Paul, and Florida hubs as snow, low clouds, storms, and heavy holiday traffic combine
Best Times To Fly: Early morning and late evening departures that avoid the late morning through early evening banks at Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Florida gateways remain the least exposed
Connections And Misconnect Risk: Leave at least two hours for domestic connections and three hours for domestic to international connections through Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, or Florida hubs, especially on routes touching Florida and the Caribbean
Onward Travel And Changes: Travelers connecting to cruises, long distance trains, or tours from snow belt and Florida hubs should arrive a day early where possible or choose flexible transfer options that allow easy retiming
What Travelers Should Do Now: Monitor airline apps and the FAA delay map, proactively move tight itineraries to earlier flights or more resilient routings, and review Adept Traveler s evergreen guide to US airport delays and cancellations for backup planning

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US flight delays November 30 2025 are being shaped by a messy mix of lingering snow around Chicago, low clouds from Boston through Washington, storms on Florida routes, and the last surge of Thanksgiving weekend traffic. The Federal Aviation Administration s latest operations plan keeps a ground delay program in place at Chicago O Hare International Airport (ORD), flags low ceilings and rain at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), New York area airports, and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), and warns that ground stops or delay programs are possible later in the day at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), San Diego International Airport (SAN), and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). On top of that, heavy snowbird flows into Florida and the Caribbean, plus ongoing A320 safety recall work, are trimming schedule slack and making tight connections risky.

In practical terms, the FAA operations plan for November 30 shows US flight delays that cluster around Chicago, the Northeast corridor, and Florida bound routes, and it confirms that ORD is operating under a ground delay program after snow removal and surface congestion forced an earlier ground stop. For travelers, that means treating Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Florida hubs as fragile, especially during midday and afternoon banks, and giving yourself enough buffer to absorb both weather and flow control slowdowns.

Snow And Surface Congestion Keep Chicago Fragile

Chicago remains the headline pinch point as the post Thanksgiving winter storm sequence continues to dump snow on the Midwest and Great Lakes. Local and national coverage describe a major snowstorm that has stranded some travelers and delivered one of the heaviest early season snow events in recent years for the Chicago area, while broader reports highlight heavy lake effect snow bands across the Great Lakes region.

The FAA operations plan confirms that Chicago O Hare is in a ground delay program because snow removal work and surface congestion have limited the number of aircraft that can move around the airfield efficiently. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) is also under runway and taxiway construction that reduces peak capacity and makes it harder to recover when winter weather interrupts operations.

If you are flying through Chicago today, you should assume that:

Morning and midday arrivals may face holding patterns or departure delays from origin airports as the ground delay program meters inbound traffic.
Departures could leave late while crews de ice aircraft and plows clear taxiways, especially in the hours after heavier bursts of snow.
Short connections under ninety minutes are exposed, particularly if you are arriving from a smaller regional spoke or connecting onward to Florida, the West Coast, or Europe.

Whenever possible, move to the earliest available departure, choose routings that avoid using Chicago as both your first and second connection in a chain, and aim for two to three hour buffers if you must connect through ORD or MDW today.

Low Clouds From Boston To Washington And Construction At West Coast Hubs

The same FAA advisory that highlights Chicago also lists low ceilings and rain at Boston Logan, the New York terminal area, Philadelphia, and Potomac Consolidated TRACON, which covers the Washington, District of Columbia airports. Instrument approaches and reduced arrival rates are likely at various times as ceilings lift and lower, and the plan explicitly warns that a ground stop or ground delay program at Newark Liberty is possible after 18 00 Zulu, with a ground stop at Washington National possible after 21 00 Zulu.

On the West Coast, the same document notes low ceilings at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), plus runway and taxiway construction at SAN and SFO that extends well into 2026. That combination often produces modest headline delays that feel worse on the ground, since any disruption has to be absorbed by a constrained runway and taxiway layout.

For travelers using these hubs today, the pattern is familiar. East Coast city pairs like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington may see rolling departure holds and arrival spacing, particularly during late morning and afternoon banks when traffic is heavy. West Coast departures from San Diego and San Francisco can pick up delays as morning marine layers or low clouds intersect with construction related runway closures.

If you have the flexibility to move, early morning and later evening flights that sidestep those core peaks are usually safer. If you cannot retime your trip, build generous layovers in these cities, particularly if you are connecting on to Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Europe where missed banks can mean long waits for the next seat.

Florida And Caribbean Flows Managed By Airspace Programs

While much of the attention is on snow and low clouds, the FAA is also using airspace tools to manage heavy snowbird flows into Florida and the Caribbean. The operations plan describes high volume toward Miami center airspace and a series of structured routes from the Northeast, Texas, and the Ohio Valley into Florida, along with capping and tunneling measures in Jacksonville center airspace and potential Gulf route closures.

Separate ATCSCC advisories show specific airspace flow programs for Florida bound traffic from the Northeast and Midwest that can add average delays of around half an hour, with some flights seeing waits that approach two hours depending on route, time of day, and weather along the path.

Practically, that means flights from Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington into Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, and smaller Florida gateways may push back on time, then sit for a while in a departure queue or be issued miles in trail restrictions en route. Flights from Texas and the Gulf Coast into Florida can also slow as thunderstorms and high altitude traffic management programs stack up.

If you are heading to Florida or the Caribbean today, treat any tight onward connection as a luxury the system is unlikely to support. Build at least two hours for domestic to domestic transfers and three hours where a domestic leg connects to a cruise, a long haul international flight, or a regional hop to the islands.

Ski Country Volume And A New Storm On The Horizon

The operations plan also calls out ski country volume in Denver and Salt Lake City airspace, with low ceilings and snow affecting Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) and potential route and altitude restrictions in Denver center airspace. That is a reminder that Thanksgiving is now overlapping with early season ski traffic, which puts extra strain on mountain gateways any time a storm passes through.

Looking beyond today, major outlets are already warning that Winter Storm Chan will bring another round of snow to the Midwest and Great Lakes on Monday into Monday night, following closely behind Winter Storm Bellamy. For travelers, that means the current pattern of snow, lake effect bands, and routing controls is not a one day story, and anyone flying again early in the week should pay attention to updated forecasts and fresh FAA advisories.

A320 Safety Recall Adds Structural Cancellations

Although weather is the main visible driver of delay today, a layer of structural disruption continues from the A320 family safety recall. As Adept Traveler has already detailed, regulators ordered software updates on thousands of Airbus A320 family aircraft after investigators tied an October 30 incident to a vulnerability in flight control computers when exposed to intense solar radiation.

North American airlines have been working rapidly through the required updates, but the recall still means some carriers are pulling individual Airbus narrow bodies out of service for software work, especially during overnight windows or on lower demand rotations. That translates into clusters of planned cancellations and equipment swaps on A320 family routes in the United States and Canada, layered on top of today s weather and flow constraints.

If your itinerary includes a carrier with a large A320 family fleet, it is worth double checking the aircraft type and watching for schedule changes in the 24 to 48 hours before departure. Adept Traveler s coverage of the A320 safety recall outlines which airlines are most affected and how they are handling rebooking, and our evergreen Guide To US Airport Delays And Cancellations walks through insurance, backup planning, and compensation rules that can help if your flight is pulled from the schedule.

Practical Steps For Travelers On November 30

For travelers flying today, the most useful way to think about November 30 is as a high volume holiday Sunday with a few glaring weak spots. Chicago and the Great Lakes snow belt are still digging out from Winter Storm Bellamy, the East Coast has low clouds and patchy rain, Florida corridors are being micromanaged by route programs, and A320 recall work is nibbling at fleet flexibility.

The most reliable moves are straightforward.

First, favor earlier departures. Early morning flights have the best chance of leaving close to schedule, especially from hubs that are dealing with snow removal, low ceilings, or airspace programs. They also give you more options if you need to be reaccommodated.

Second, stretch your connections through the most affected hubs. Aim for at least two hours between domestic flights and three hours where a domestic leg connects to a long haul or a cruise, particularly through Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Florida gateways.

Third, lean heavily on digital tools. Airline apps and text alerts remain the fastest way to see equipment swaps, rolling delay estimates, and last minute gate changes, while the FAA s National Airspace System Status page and delay map show whether your origin or hub is under a ground stop, a ground delay program, or simple volume related spacing.

Fourth, protect onward travel. If today s flight connects to a cruise departure, escorted tour, or long distance train, treat even an on time arrival as provisional, and build in at least an overnight buffer wherever you can.

Finally, take a few minutes to review structural resources. Adept Traveler s previous day by day delay coverage for November 24 through 29, our analysis of Thanksgiving storm patterns, and our evergreen Guide To US Airport Delays And Cancellations provide a broader map of how weather, staffing, and fleet issues are likely to interact in the coming days, which can help you choose more resilient routings for the rest of the season.