July Fourth travelers face thousands of flight delays, cancellations, high gas
“Nothing at LaGuardia Airport costs $15, but it was better than nothing,” Courchesne, who works at a D.C. consulting firm on K Street, told The Washington Post. “I went and got a bunch of Jolly Ranchers. I figured $15 would have covered three family-sized packs, and that’s exactly what happened.”
As tens of millions of Americans are expected to fly or drive for the Fourth of July weekend, many are facing summer travel that has been slowed down because of flight delays and cancellations, and made more expensive by high fuel prices.
An estimated 47.9 million travelers in the United States between Friday and Monday represents an increase of almost 4 percent, compared with last year, according to AAA — approaching the level of summer travel not seen in the country since before the coronavirus pandemic. While the bulk of those travelers will be on the road, more than 3.5 million are expected to be on airliners, that is, if their flights don’t get delayed or canceled.
More than 3,800 flights within, into or out of the United States were delayed as of late Saturday afternoon, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. Southwest Airlines was showing 715 flights delayed on Saturday, accounting for 20 percent of its total trips, data shows. American Airlines was showing 643 flights delayed, accounting for 20 percent of its total trips. Delta was at 368 delayed flights, good for 13 percent of the airline’s trips, according to FlightAware. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport led the way in Saturday delays among U.S. airports, followed by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
More than 2,300 flights on Saturday had been canceled, according to FlightAware. American, Delta and United Airlines lead the way among U.S. carriers for Saturday cancellations.
The holiday disruptions come at a time when the airline industry has pledged a renewed focus on reliability. While weather has always been an issue for airlines, staffing shortages during the pandemic have further hampered carriers’ ability to recover from delays. Several unions representing airline workers have spoken out and held demonstrations to bring attention to the strain on employees. On Thursday, more than 1,200 Delta pilots and staff staged demonstrations at several airports stretching from New York to Los Angeles to demand higher pay.
On Saturday, Allied Pilots Association, the union for American Airlines, said a scheduling…
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