Delayed or Canceled United Airlines Flights

Last Updated: December 06, 2023

Experiencing United Airlines canceled flights or delays is certainly inconvenient. Luckily, the chances of this kind of disruption may not be as common as you think, so don’t be afraid to book United Airlines flights today.

In 2022, 11,720 United Airlines flights were canceled. As a percentage of the 631,211 flights they operated that year, it isn’t too bad. That number was understandably much lower during the first half of 2023 at 4,659 United Airlines flight cancelations out of 311,012 flights.

Unsurprisingly, United Airlines flight delays occur more frequently than cancelations. In 2022, over 109,322 flights were delayed; in 2023, up to the end of June, delayed flights totaled 67,787.

2022 was a rough year for the airline industry as passengers started to travel again after staying home during the pandemic. Airline staff shortages, diminished airport capacity, and operational issues, like challenges with air traffic control, were big contributors. The good news is that things have improved significantly for United Airlines cancelations in 2023. Delays, not so much.

Here is a summary of our data for United Airlines flight cancelations and delays of 15 minutes or more:

Time Period	Total United Airlines Flights	United Airlines Canceled Flights	United Airlines Delayed Flights
2022 (January 1 to December 31)	631,211	11,720 (1.86%)	109,322 (17.32%)
2023 (January 1 to June 30)	311,012	4,659 (1.5%)	67.787 (21.8%)

What are the Chances of a United Airlines Flight Cancellation or Delay?

Based on recent data from all of 2022 and the first half of 2023, weighted appropriately, your chances of having your United Airlines flights canceled today are 1.74%. That means less than 2 out of every 100 flights get canceled.

For delays, using the same weighted average, 18.81% of flights typically get delayed by the airline. That’s closing in on 2 out of every 10 flights experiencing a delay. You shouldn’t be surprised if you’re one of the 18.81%!

Are you one of the 2 out of 100 passengers who experienced a United Airlines canceled flight? Start your claim with us ASAP!Check Your Flight

What to do if United Airlines Cancels Flights

First of all, don’t panic. The first order of business is to re-book on another flight to save your travel plans. The second is to check our comprehensive list of canceled flights, displayed as United Airlines flight numbers below on this page. Is your flight there? If so, you’re likely entitled to compensation due to EU Regulation 261. Contact us today or follow the link below for more details.

List of Possible Reasons for Cancelations

Why is United Airlines canceling flights? There are many reasons, but here are some of the most common problems:

Staffing issues - current staff numbers may not meet current demand.
Inclement weather - record-breaking temperatures, higher instances of disasters like hurricanes, and other disasters often disrupt flights.
Strikes - ground crews, mechanics, baggage handlers, pilots, etc.
Low passenger numbers
Mechanical and maintenance issues

Airports with the Most Delays and Cancelations

At the end of June of 2023, due to severe storms all over the Northeastern US, United Airlines had to cancel over 400 flights, and an additional 600+ were delayed. The hardest hit airports were those in the New York area. You can bet that the United Airlines complaints department was busy those days!

In terms of airports that have higher rates than average, here is a snapshot of the data we gathered from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics:

Airport	United Airlines Flights Canceled 2022	United Airlines Flights Canceled 2023	United Airlines Flights Delayed 2022	United Airlines Flights Delayed 2023
Newark Liberty	4.78%	3.3%	25.95%	24.23%
LaGuardia	4.86%	3.17%	23.15%	25.19%
Orlando International	2.43%	1.51%	21.72%	25.38%
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson	2.85%	1.73%	24.80%	27.65%
Dallas/Fort Worth	3.16%	2.58%	22.05%	26.97%
Chicago O’Hare	2.16%	1.77%	16.18%	19.91%

To summarize, although Chicago O’Hare had high United Airlines cancelations in 2022 relative to the airline’s average, the airport had good numbers in other categories. Atlanta Hartfield-Jackson Airport is best avoided if you’re worried about delays, as is Dallas. Both Newark and LaGuardia are among the worst for high United Airlines flight cancelation percentages.

If your United Airlines flight was delayed by 3 hours or more, it may be possible to claim. Use our flight checker to confirm your eligibility.Check Your Flight

How to Avoid United Airlines Canceled Flights

In the hopes that your flight is not one of the United Airlines flight codes listed below as canceled, here is our advice:

If possible, avoid the most disrupted airports (above), especially Newark and LaGuardia, for cancelations.
Fly early in the day. The first flight of the day is less likely to be canceled due to excessive delays from previous flights and mechanical issues.
Avoid connections. It’s easy to miss a connection when the first part of your journey is interrupted.
Track your flight. Check for any United Airlines flights canceled today and get a jump on re-booking. Get the airline or airport’s app to track the flight status in real-time. Just make sure you have your United Airlines flight number handy.

List of United Airlines Flight Cancelations

Select United Airlines flight that was delayed or cancelled to learn about your passenger rights and what to do when such disruption occurs. Our team at AirAdvisor is happy to help with any compensation or refund claims against United Airlines on No-Win, No-Fee basis. We have been helping passengers since 2017.

If you’ve had a delayed, overbooked, or canceled flight in the past 3 years, you might be entitled to compensation from United Airlines. Find out what you’re owed with our Eligibility Checker.

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