Originally Posted by
United_727
Just think of the mess it would have been had it been , say,January ...
Why? The barracks would have been heated and ATC disruptions (availability of spare crew and planes) would have been less.
"If you like numbers, the government's Bureau of Transportation Statistics has plenty. During the most recent winter (October 2010 through February 2011), for instance, the worst month for weather-delayed flights was December, with 36.67 percent delays. But May and June were even worse for delays, and July was nearly as bad."
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/flight-...ry?id=13519150
This data isn't "fresh" but it is usually the case regardless of year.
This wasn't ATC/WX related as a direct cause, but the ability to recover with other aircraft/crew is much tougher in the summer (unstable weather, capacity may maximum.)