Flight Delays And Airport Impacts: December 13, 2025
Key points
- FAA planning notes low ceilings at Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Diego, with snow risk around Boston, New York, Detroit, and Chicago
- As of 11:04 a.m. ET, FlightAware counted 1,409 U.S. delays and 67 U.S. cancellations
- Chicago O'Hare led major hubs in reported disruption with 135 delays and 9 cancellations
- FAA also flagged runway work at Newark and Tampa, plus ongoing runway or taxiway projects at New York LaGuardia, Chicago Midway, and San Diego
- Flights to Orlando and Tampa may see longer routings because FAA noted Atlantic route restrictions tied to military activity
Impact
- Where Delays Are Most Likely
- Expect the highest misconnect risk at Chicago O'Hare, New York area airports, and West Coast hubs if low ceilings persist into afternoon banks
- Best Times To Fly
- Earlier departures are generally safer than late day flights because delays compound as inbound aircraft arrive late
- Connections And Misconnect Risk
- Plan longer buffers for hub connections and avoid separate ticket self transfers, especially through Chicago, New York, and West Coast gateways
- What Travelers Should Do Now
- Check your airline app for waivers, choose nonstop options where possible, and add ground transfer time if you are traveling through airports with runway work
U.S. flight delays December 13, 2025 are building around a familiar winter mix, low ceilings on the West Coast and snow risk in parts of the Midwest and Northeast. Travelers connecting through Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and San Diego International Airport (SAN) should be ready for holding and gate congestion if marine layer ceilings linger, while Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), and Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) sit in the FAA's planning box for snow related capacity drops. The practical move is to add buffer time, avoid tight same day connections, and treat late afternoon departures as higher risk if your trip depends on an on time arrival.
The FAA's December 13 Operations Plan points to weather and airspace constraints that can keep U.S. flight delays elevated through the day's busiest travel banks.
By mid morning, disruption was already measurable. FlightAware's tracker showed 1,409 delays within, into, or out of the United States, and 67 U.S. cancellations as of 11:04 a.m. ET. Chicago O'Hare stood out in the same snapshot, with 135 delays and 9 cancellations, which is the kind of hub level friction that can ripple across multiple airline networks for the rest of the day.
The FAA's current planning view frames this as more than one city's weather problem. The Operations Plan (event time 1500Z, which is 1000 a.m. ET) calls out low ceilings at Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Diego, and snow around Boston, the New York TRACON complex (N90), Detroit, and Chicago O'Hare. Even when the weather is localized, the U.S. system tends to behave like a single machine during peak banks, because aircraft and crews are scheduled to cycle across multiple cities in the same day.
Background
When the FAA warns of "ground stops" or "delay programs," it is describing traffic management tools used by the Air Traffic Control System Command Center to keep demand below what an airport or airspace sector can safely handle. A ground stop pauses departures to an affected destination, which prevents airborne holding but creates long gate waits at the origin. A ground delay program meters flights into a constrained airport by assigning departure times, which spreads the pain out across many origin cities instead of letting aircraft stack up over the destination. Airspace flow programs do something similar at a broader scale, steering volume away from constrained routes or regions.
For travelers, this matters because a delay you feel in one city may be caused by the destination's weather, a staffing constraint en route, or a downstream runway closure, not the weather outside your own terminal window.
What The FAA Flagged For December 13
The Operations Plan included a staffing trigger tied to New York Center (ZNY), a reminder that the New York area can become a constraint even when the main story appears to be snow elsewhere. It also listed airspace flow programs active into the afternoon, which can slow the rate at which traffic moves through certain corridors even if airports remain open.
The plan also highlighted a routing restriction affecting Florida flows. FAA noted "no Atlantic Y routes" into the Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Tampa International Airport (TPA) areas because of military exercise activity. In plain terms, that can mean longer routings, more miles, and more sequencing pressure into Florida metros during the day's heavier leisure demand.
Separately, runway and construction items can quietly cap capacity. The FAA planning note listed Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) with Runway 04L/22R closed until 700 a.m. ET on December 14, and Tampa International with Runway 01L/19R closed until 500 p.m. ET on December 14. It also referenced ongoing work that can reduce flexibility at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), and San Diego International, all of which can turn routine weather delays into longer lines at the curb, the checkpoint, and the gate during peak banks.
Where Impacts Look Most Likely Right Now
Chicago O'Hare is the one to watch if you need a same day connection to anywhere. FlightAware showed O'Hare leading major hubs in delays and cancellations in late morning tracking, which usually signals either active winter weather friction, aggressive arrival spacing, or inbound aircraft arriving late from multiple directions. If you are connecting through O'Hare, the biggest risk is not the first delay, it is the second delay that hits after you have already lost slack.
On the coasts, low ceilings can behave like a volume problem rather than a storm problem. Seattle Tacoma, Los Angeles, and San Diego were the FAA's low ceiling trio in planning, and FlightAware's airport pages showed delays and cancellations already stacking at each. Marine layer type disruptions often look modest at first, then spike when the day's highest volume banks collide with lower arrival rates, especially if clearing comes later than expected.
In the Northeast, the combination of snow risk and New York area staffing constraints is what turns "a few delays" into widespread misconnects. Even if your itinerary does not touch New York directly, the region's constraints can pull aircraft out of position and force airlines to protect their highest value hub banks later in the day.
What Travelers Should Do Next
If you have not left for the airport yet, prioritize decisions that preserve options. Nonstop itineraries are still the best risk reducer in a day like this, because they remove one chance to misconnect. If you must connect, pick earlier flights and longer layovers, because the system's delay curve usually steepens into late afternoon as inbound aircraft and crews arrive behind schedule.
For airport transfers, assume curbside and security lines will be less predictable at airports with active runway or construction constraints. Build extra time for rideshares, parking shuttles, and bag drop, especially at New York area airports, O'Hare, and the West Coast hubs flagged for low ceilings.
Finally, do not guess at your own odds based on the departure board alone. On weather and traffic management days, the most important information is in your airline's app for your specific flight, plus the arrival airport's capacity constraints. If your carrier offers a same day change or waiver, use it early, before the airport lines thicken and inventory tightens.
For a broader decision framework on rebooking, self transfer risk, and what to document when things go sideways, Adept Traveler's evergreen guidance is here: https://adept.travel/blogs/tips-for-dealing-with-flight-delays-or-cancellations. For holiday context, this week's planning baseline is in our AAA driven outlook here: https://adept.travel/news/2025-12-12-us-holiday-travel-forecast-dec-20-jan-1. And if you are routing through the U.S. Virgin Islands, note the long running overnight runway closure constraint at Cyril E. King Airport (STT): https://adept.travel/news/2025-12-12-st-thomas-airport-nightly-runway-closure.