Air France and British Airways Weather Cancellations: Full List and Steps

(AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) Air travel across Europe and parts of the Middle East faced major disruption today, with airlines canceling and delaying flights amid bad weather and ongoing operational strain. While initial reports focused on 11 cancellations by Air France and British Airways, the wider picture is far more severe: over 900 flights have been canceled and delayed across Europe and the Middle East.

The largest pinch point is Amsterdam’s Schiphol, where knock-on delays from earlier days and air traffic control limits sparked a fresh wave of schedule changes that stranded passengers across the region.

Key airport impacts and figures

• Schiphol (Amsterdam): Authorities logged 119 delays and 27 cancellations, including 24 cancellations by KLM.
• Charles de Gaulle (Paris): Reported 191 delays and 14 cancellations; Air France reported 86 delays and 7 cancellations as it adjusted operations through the afternoon.
• Heathrow (London): Saw over 110 delays and 8 cancellations, affecting British Airways the most, but also touching services from United Airlines, Delta, Air India, Emirates, and Qatar Airways.
• Barcelona El Prat: Recorded 82 delays and 4 cancellations, particularly on short-haul routes and flights to North Africa; easyJet, Vueling, Ryanair, Delta, and Turkish Airlines reported issues.

Airlines attribute disruptions to a mix of poor weather, tight turnaround windows, and staffing gaps. Geopolitical tensions affecting air corridors add to route-planning challenges, especially on intercontinental flights.

Passengers at these airports described long lines for rebooking, confusion about meal vouchers, and limited hotel space near terminals as cancellations stacked up. Parents traveling with young children and older passengers faced the toughest conditions, often waiting hours for confirmed reroutes or accommodation.

Operational pressure points at major hubs

• Schiphol (Amsterdam): The worst-hit airport today, with air traffic control restrictions and delays piling up from previous days. Crews and aircraft fell out of place, deepening the backlog and stretching recovery times.
• Heathrow (London): Overcapacity in terminals, tight turnarounds, and intermittent technical outages made it harder for carriers like British Airways to keep schedules on track once weather rolled in.
• Charles de Gaulle (Paris): Afternoon staff shortages added friction, while flights to the Middle East and Africa were especially affected, forcing Air France to reshuffle resources and retime services.
• Barcelona El Prat: Mostly short-haul pain, with ripple effects spreading across airline networks serving the Mediterranean and North Africa.

Travelers described long rebooking lines, unclear voucher policies, and limited nearby hotel space. Families with children and older passengers were particularly affected.

What passengers should do now

For travelers trying to fly today, the headline is simple: check your flight status before leaving home and plan for longer waits at the airport. Air France and British Airways say they are alerting customers via email, text, and apps, but counters and call centers remain busy when cancellations arrive in waves.

VisaVerge.com analysis suggests the fastest path to a workable alternative is often through an airline’s mobile app, where rebooking options can appear sooner than at airport desks during peak disruption.

Immediate steps to take

1. Check flight status now — use the airline app or website; do not rely solely on third-party trackers.
2. Ask for assistance — if you’re delayed long enough or face an overnight stay, airlines must provide meals, refreshments, and hotel accommodation. Request meal vouchers and hotel booking help at the gate or service desk.
3. Rebook or refund — choose the next available flight (possibly on a different carrier) or request a full refund if you opt not to travel.
4. Keep receipts — save all receipts for reasonable expenses tied to the delay or cancellation; well-documented claims are processed faster.
5. Know compensation rules — under EU regulation EC 261/2004, you may be entitled to €250 to €600 depending on distance and delay length, unless an “extraordinary circumstance” (e.g., severe weather) applies.

For official guidance, consult the European Commission’s air passenger rights page: European Commission — Air Passenger Rights.

Background reasons and wider context

Behind today’s chaos sits a longer run of strain on Europe’s aviation system:

• In September, a massive cyberattack hit airports in Brussels, Berlin, and London Heathrow, taking down automated check-in and boarding systems and forcing manual processing.
• More recently, Storm Benjamin triggered 262 cancellations and over 870 delays, with KLM canceling 151 flights as winds made approaches and departures unsafe.
• Each shock leaves aircraft and crews out of position, creating a domino effect that can take days to clear.

Geopolitical events also complicate flight planning. Carriers have suspended or diverted services after US strikes on Iranian facilities, and tensions between Iran and Israel continue to affect air corridors between Iran and the Mediterranean. For long-haul operations, a closed or constrained corridor can mean longer flight times, fuel planning challenges, and fewer backup options when weather hits European hubs—especially at Schiphol, where runway capacity is tightly managed.

What this means for passengers on Air France or British Airways

• Expect rolling changes throughout the day as airlines swap aircraft and crews to protect later departures.
• If you’re connecting through Schiphol, Charles de Gaulle, or Heathrow, monitor minimum connection time closely. Missed connections are common when inbound flights lose even a small slot due to stacking delays or de-icing queues.

Practical tips for today and the coming days

• Download your airline’s app and enable push alerts for gate changes and rebooking offers.
• If you see a self-service rebooking option, act quickly; seats disappear fast when multiple flights cancel.
• If a new connection looks tight, ask an agent to reroute you through a different hub with better weather or more frequent services.
• Photograph departure boards and keep copies of boarding passes, delay notices, and vouchers to support later claims.

While the number “11 canceled flights” for Air France and British Airways has circulated widely, the broader reality is a system under stress across several major hubs. Airlines are moving to stabilize schedules, but with over 900 total cancellations and delays reported today, full recovery will depend on weather windows, staffing, and air traffic control capacity.

For many travelers, the best outcome will come from quick digital rebooking, knowing your EC 261 rights, and perseverance at crowded service desks when personal help is essential.