Travelers across the country on Saturday faced the possibility of canceling or delaying flights, as airlines and airports faced a combination of high demand, bad weather and staff shortages.
As of late Saturday afternoon, more than 600 flights to the United States had been canceled and about 4,400 flights in, inside or outside the country had been delayed, according to the FlightAware flight tracking website.
Although the number of flights with problems was higher than on a normal day of travel, the demand for travel was also higher. According to the Transportation Security Administration, the number of passengers during the July 4 holiday weekend had reached pre-pandemic levels. Demand for travel during the same holiday weekend as last year had recovered substantially from pandemic lows, but was still below this year’s levels.
FlightAware data showed that the three U.S. airports most affected by cancellations and delays on Saturday were Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Charlotte International Airport. Douglas to North Carolina.
The number of canceled and delayed flights was well below the levels of these Christmas and New Year holidays, when bad weather and staff shortages related to Omicron wreaked havoc on airlines’ schedules. aerial.
Still, airlines are struggling to keep up with demand this July 4th holiday as they struggle with shortage of pilots, weather conditions and delays in air traffic control.
“Delta crews continue to be safely managed through the combined factors of inclement weather and air traffic control delays, which affect the flight crew’s available service time,” a Delta spokesman said. Air Lines in an email. “Canceling a flight is always our last resort and we sincerely apologize to our customers for any interruption in their travel plans.”
Delta said it offered customers the ability to reschedule flights July 1-4 without fare changes if they travel between the same origin and destination.
United Airlines also blamed weather and air traffic control programs for its delays.
Added to the stress of American Airlines was a computer failure in its pilot travel exchange system that, according to the airline, allowed a travel trade that “should not have been allowed.” . But American said it did not “anticipate any operational impact due to this problem” and added that the “main causes of delays / cancellations” on Saturday were “weather and traffic control problems.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said the main cause of flight delays and cancellations was weather conditions followed by travel demand. The agency added in a statement: “The FAA has acted on the issues raised by airlines and is working with them to share information to keep aircraft moving safely when weather and other airspace events restrict it. The agency has also added alternative routes and placed more drivers in high-demand areas and increased data exchange. “