Sept. 21, 2026 • 5 min read Jump to section Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy URL Email The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. Flight cancellations mounted by the hundreds after a Federal Aviation Administration outage snarled air traffic for hours on Monday.
By 10:20 p.m. EDT, airlines had canceled around 1,100 flights across the country, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware .
That included more than half of all departures on Monday planned for Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), which was by far the hardest-hit airport.
But nearly every major hub in the busy Northeast battled residual flight woes on Monday.
The largest U.S. carriers issued travel waivers allowing travelers affected by the disruptions to make changes to their itinerary.
And it's possible disruptions could spill into Tuesday as airlines get operations back on track.
TPG's tips: Flight delayed or canceled? Here's what to do
The problems on Monday stemmed from an outage to a critical FAA communications system in Philadelphia.
Making matters worse, a rail worker accidentally cut a fiber line that provides key telecommunications to the nation's air traffic systems, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
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That line had been repaired by early evening, but residual delays and cancellations were expected to mount, Duffy said.
EWR and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) saw the worst of the disruptions.
On top of hundreds of cancellations in Newark, PHL saw around a fifth of all departures shuttered by early evening — and that number was still growing.
At one point Monday afternoon, the FAA had issued ground stops for all three of the major hubs in the New York area, along with Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and others.
Those disruptions left travelers stranded, planes stuck on taxiways and other aircraft diverting to different airports.
United Airlines, which operates a major hub in Newark, saw its operations affected more than any other carrier.
The airline was at more than 350 cancellations by Monday evening. That number could grow as the carrier works to get aircraft and crews back in the right places.
"We know this outage is a significant disruption for our customers," United said in a statement to TPG. "Once it is resolved, we will work to safely get them to their destinations."
United and several of the largest U.S. carriers have issued flexible travel waivers. Most cover Newark and Philadelphia. Depending on the airline and itinerary, travelers affected may be able to re-book, re-schedule their trip or fly out of a different airport in the region.
Here's a quick rundown of the advisories active right now:
Here's what travelers af…