Hundreds of flights canceled at Chicago airports as frigid temperatures linger

CHICAGO - Chicago's airports experienced more cancelations than usual as arctic temperatures swept the area on Monday. The extreme cold is causing certain airport operations to grind to a halt – leaving some customers to brace for turbulence.

As of 10 p.m. Monday, O'Hare International Airport reported 372 cancelations and at least 870 delays. Meanwhile, cancelations in and out of Midway International Airport totaled to 174, with more than 130 delays.

"My connection from Chicago to St. Louis got canceled," said Craig Takaoka, traveler.

"Really want to be on ground on time," said Jummy Adekoya, who is traveling to Nigeria.

On Monday, O’Hare Airport’s Terminal 1 remained busy from morning until night, with many travelers scrambling to re-book canceled flights or locate lost baggage.

"I think I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous," said Sam Ostergren, who was traveling to Kansas.

Ostergren’s flight was later canceled, and he tells FOX 32 Chicago the earliest availability he was offered to re-book is on Wednesday.

"We’re on time, that’s the surprise," said Tosin Adekoya, who is traveling to Nigeria.

Others were lucky to get off the ground on time.

"Can’t get out of here fast enough, honestly. Going to Punta Cana so about an 80-degree difference," said one woman.

When temperatures are this extreme, flying itself isn't the issue but preparing a plane for flight can be.

Aircraft hydraulics systems, cargo doors and fuel nozzles can freeze up, and de-icing planes takes time.

"I was supposed to fly out originally on Thursday night, ended up having to fly out Saturday morning because of the delays," said Alex Henning, who returned from Charleston on Monday.

Airlines, like Southwest, say they also must limit the time crews spend outdoors, and rotate their teams more frequently to lower risks of frostbite.

"This is Chicago, every other year we get something like this, kind of used to, kind of not," said Tosin Adekoya.

The frigid temperatures, on Sunday, even caused O'Hare's Airport Transit System (ATS) to break down – putting it temporarily out of service. Service was restored a short time later.

O'Hare officials said supplemental bus services will continue as needed over the next several days due to subzero temperatures.

On Monday, United Media Relations released the following statement:

"Severe winter weather has caused delays at our O’Hare operations. Our operations team continues to monitor weather developments across the Midwest and adjust our schedule accordingly. We know our customers are eager to get to their destinations. Customers may visit united.com to check their flight status and view the latest information. Additionally, we currently have waivers in place for customers traveling to, from or through impacted cities in the region."

Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines provided this statement:

"Due to forecasted and harsh winter conditions across a wide swath of our route map today,  Southwest over the weekend notified our customers of adjustments to roughly 15% of our published schedule on Monday. We are seeing challenges ranging from wintry precipitation and blizzards to frozen equipment and other airfield constraints beyond our control. The persistent dangerous sub-zero windchill requires rotating ground crews to limit their exposure and risk of frostbite.

"All this planning and work is through a Safety-first lens. Our Crew, Aircraft, and Fleet networks are balanced and fully functioning, and our operation clearly is benefiting from the concerted work across 2023 to bolster our resiliency for winter operations. As the storm moves East and the cold air behind it begins to moderate, we anticipate far fewer schedule adjustments tomorrow. We continue to offer additional flexibility for travelers as dynamic conditions evolve, and we’re working to protect our People in their work to best serve our customers."

Some customers tell FOX 32 Chicago that it has helped cut wait times by re-booking canceled flights directly on their airline's mobile app, as opposed to calling customer service.

More delays are expected Tuesday. If you are traveling, you’re encouraged to check the status of your flight before leaving home.