The US aviation sector has been struck by extreme weather again, as Storm Beryl made landfall in Texas early on Monday, 8 July 2024, causing 1,700 flights to be cancelled and 4,200 delays by the afternoon of the same day. Operations are now restored but cancellations and delays are still possible.
The evolution of Storm Beryl
Starting off as a Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean, by the time it reached the US coast, Beryl’s intensity was down to a Category 1 storm, associated with 74-95 mph (119-153km/h) winds that can cause damage to non-permanent structures, trees, and coastal flooding. It was later re-labelled as a tropical storm, but even the less powerful 70 mph (113 km/h) winds were enough to raise concern about storm surges and flash flooding.
With Houston pounded by 2 to 3 inches of rain per hour, and the region looking at 12 inches of rain per hour, 90% of the flights at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and 80% at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) were cancelled due to the storm. Roads around the airport were also affected and authorities urged people to stay at home.
United Airlines has a hub in Houston and saw the highest number of cancellations: 16% of the carrier’s flights, (around 500 departures) were affected. Other airlines too, including Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, and Spirit, had to cancel flights and are offering re-booking fee waivers to customers.
Houston, we have a… Hurricane 🌀 pic.twitter.com/Qb3NuroBrf
— Zoom Earth (@zoom_earth) July 8, 2024
Delays and cancellations are still possible
Things were expected to improve with the storm moving east and towards the Lower Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said, giving hope that flights might resume. At the time of writing, Houston Airports website is saying it “has restored operations after a deadly Hurricane Beryl forced airlines to cancel flights this morning.”
However, the operator warns: “Delays and cancellations are still possible. Passengers should stay in close communication with their airlines while continuing to check on the status of their flights. We ask passengers to extend patience and understanding as the airports may experience extended TSA and ticketing lines, limited concessions, amenities and essential services in the immediate days after Hurricane Beryl.”
Disruption falls to 10-year-low
The wave of cancellations and delays comes as US aviation has been marking positive news after the release of Department of Transportation (DOT) figures showing a huge reduction in cancelled flights last year. The 10-year-low in cancellation rates had been achieved, according to Transport Secretary Pete Buttiegeg, thanks to pressure put on airlines to schedule flights more realistically and compensate flyers when things go wrong under regulations forcing airlines to refund passengers if flights are cancelled for any reason – that includes weather, which is now the primary cause of flight delays in the US.
And it is not just airports and airlines dealing with Storm Beryl. Cruise lines Royal Caribbean and Carnival both adjusted schedules to take the weather system into account, leaving port early or skipping scheduled port calls. The Port of Galveston closed on Monday and the last update posted on X at 6pm, explains: “Galveston Harbor and port operations remain closed as the port and federal agencies assess the impact of #Beryl. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects to begin surveying federal portions of waterways on Tuesday.”
