Orlando International Airport recorded 15 cancellations and 76 delays today, with Spirit Airlines responsible for all cancellations and multiple major carriers facing delays.
Summary: Orlando International Airport (MCO) recorded 15 flight cancellations and 76 delays today. Spirit Airlines accounted for all cancellations and led disruptions with 21 delays; JetBlue, Southwest, Delta, and American also reported notable delays.
Operations at Orlando International Airport (MCO) were significantly disrupted today, with the airport logging 15 cancellations and 76 delayed departures and arrivals. The disturbance affected both domestic and international services and produced knock-on impacts at several other U.S. gateways and Canadian airports.
Scale and primary causes of the disruption
Today's figures show Orlando as the main hub affected, with a total of 38 delays recorded at MCO alone. While the situation was system-wide, one carrier stood out as the hardest hit.
Airlines most affected
- Spirit Airlines: All 15 cancellations and 21 delays — the largest single-carrier disruption at MCO today
- JetBlue: 13 delays reported, despite no cancellations
- Southwest Airlines: 9 delays affecting short-haul connectivity
- Delta Air Lines: 8 delays impacting domestic and connecting traffic
- American Airlines: 6 delays across hub and regional services
- United Airlines: 3 delays contributing to peak-period congestion
Beyond the carriers listed above, popular airlines including Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, WestJet and Frontier also encountered delays as the network felt pressure across multiple corridors.
Network ripple effects at other airports
The disruption at Orlando produced secondary impacts at several U.S. and Canadian airports. Some airports recorded cancellations while others saw multiple delays as schedules were adjusted.
- Boston Logan (BOS): 1 cancellation, 4 delays
- Newark Liberty (EWR): 1 cancellation
- LaGuardia (LGA): 1 cancellation, 3 delays
- Nashville (BNA): 1 cancellation
- Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH): 1 cancellation
- Philadelphia (PHL): 2 delays
- Raleigh–Durham (RDU): 2 delays
- Toronto Pearson (YYZ): 2 delays
- Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier (YOW): 1 delay
Geographic reach of today's disruptions
Although the immediate disruption centred on Orlando, the effects spread across major U.S. gateways and international routes. Connections touching Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean experienced delays or schedule instability as aircraft and crews were rescheduled.
What passengers should do now
- Monitor airline apps, SMS alerts and airport departure boards for real-time updates on gates and departure times.
- Contact your airline's customer service desk, call centre or in-app support to confirm rebooking, standby options or alternate routings.
- Allow extra time for connections and expect potential downstream delays when travelling on multi-leg itineraries.
- Keep receipts for expenses such as meals, transport or accommodation if you intend to file a claim with the airline or travel insurer.
- Check your ticket's terms for same-day changes, voluntary rebooking or flexibility options offered during widespread disruptions.
Airlines and airports routinely update operations as conditions evolve, so staying informed and documenting unexpected expenses improves the likelihood of a smoother recovery or reimbursement where eligible.
Why this matters: travellers planning trips through Orlando or connecting across affected hubs should expect service volatility and build contingency time into itineraries. For the aviation industry, today's events underline how concentrated pressure at a major leisure gateway can quickly cascade across carriers and international routes.
So what? If your journey involves Orlando International Airport or connecting flights to/from the listed hubs, proactively check your booking and give yourself additional connection time. Retain receipts and contact your carrier promptly for rebooking options.
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