Bad weather across the U.S. has caused more than 12,000 flight delays this week — with Chicago O’Hare International Airport hit especially hard. Travelers are wondering:

Has the snowstorm impacted flight prices at all?

Sky Key analyzed real booking data to answer that question.

How We Analyzed Flight Prices

We reviewed:

• Flights tracked by Sky Key
• All flights arriving or departing Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
• All flights scheduled within the next 30 days

Why O’Hare?
Because it’s one of the busiest airports in the country and was heavily affected by the recent snowstorm, with thousands of delays and cancellations.

This makes it the perfect test case for understanding how severe weather impacts airfare.

Did the Snowstorm Affect Flight Prices?

Surprisingly — not really.

Based on our data:

• Flight prices increased only 0.4% between 11/27 and 11/28 (the day the snow began)
• Since 11/24, overall prices for O’Hare arrivals/departures are down 0.2%
• In other words: basically unchanged

Why Didn’t Prices Move More?

In many markets, major events cause sharp price swings.
(Think: DeepSeek’s R1 launch wiping billions off Nvidia in a single day.)

But airline pricing behaves differently.

Possible explanations:

• Airlines may temporarily pause fare updates during operational chaos
• Canceled flights can reduce supply, but delayed trips can also reduce demand
• Revenue teams often adjust prices after disruptions — not during

What Travelers Should Do During Weather Uncertainty

Because price movements are unpredictable during storms:

• Prices might rise if airlines try to recover revenue
• Prices might fall if demand softens
• It’s nearly impossible to time the market

The safest strategy:
Book your flight now and upload your ticket to Sky Key.

Sky Key automatically gets you money, miles, or credits back if prices drop after you book — so you have peace of mind no matter what the weather does.

– Billy Bund. Co-Founder @ Sky Key