Flight Cancellations Mayhem Ensues Amid Holiday Travel Surge
Airlines nationwide experienced an immense number of flight cancellations as they tried to field the uptick in travel.
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People have returned to airports in massive numbers this Fourth of July. But the festive outings have been marred by flight cancellations and delays around the country. The Transportation Security Administration screened 2,490,490 passengers at airport checkpoints on Friday – the most since February 2020. But the same day, 464 domestic and international flights were canceled and more than 6,600 were delayed, according to the flight tracker FlightAware. And on Sunday morning, more than 930 flights were delayed along with 200 cancellations.
According to NBC News, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport had the highest rates of delays and cancellations. These flight cancellations followed 5,893 delays and 655 cancellations on Saturday. People experienced similar travel mayhem during Juneteenth and Father’s Day weekends when 3,300 flights were grounded. These were the busiest air travel days at the time, along with Memorial Day weekend, when about 2,700 flights were scrapped.
The increased pressure has put all major airlines in a desperate situation. Delta Airlines even resorted to handing out cash to anyone willing to get off an overextended plane. The company reportedly offered passengers $10,000 to get off an overbooked flight from Michigan to Minnesota. In a statement to The Hill, a Delta spokesperson would not confirm whether the incident took place. But the representative did admit that there is compensation for ground staff under circumstances like flight cancellations.
Meanwhile, severe staffing shortages have led some airlines to cut thousands of flights for the summer season in advance. While airline executives blame understaffing at the Federal Aviation Administration for flight cancellations and delays, the FAA disputed the claim in a statement. Speaking to The Associated Press last month, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he wanted to see how air travel over the July Fourth weekend went before he decided if his department will take enforcement action against airlines.
Making good on his promise, on Saturday Buttigieg tweeted that passengers can claim refunds for flight cancellations, noting that his own connecting flight was also axed on Friday night. And that he claimed a $112 refund. “Airlines offer miles as compensation for some travel issues, and you can often negotiate on this,” the post said. “That’s between you and the airline. But you are entitled to cash refunds for canceled flights. That’s a requirement that we will continue to enforce,” he assured weary travelers.
Despite historically high gas prices, AAA said at least 42 million Americans were expected to drive approximately 50 miles over the holiday weekend, while another 3.5 million planned to fly. As the Independence Day weekend draws to a close, it will be an interesting journey back home for everyone who made it to their holiday destination. As consumer complaints pile up, FlightAware spokeswoman Kathleen Bangs has said she expects the wave of flight cancellations to stabilize by the fall. This is because airlines plan to reduce their schedules and aim to hire more pilots and other airline workers, NBC News reports.
