From USA Today:
“'Travel Armageddon' as flight
delays, cancellations pile up: What's going on?”
Travel issues continued piling up
for fliers as flight delays and cancellations topped 10,000 — a tumultuous
weekend for holiday travel blamed on staffing shortages, packed planes and the
ripple effects from previous bad weather. On Monday, more than 3,000 flights
within, into, or out of the U.S. were
delayed and about 370 flights canceled, as of 5 p.m. ET, according to
FlightAware. TSA projected on Twitter that Monday could be Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport's busiest day since the start of the pandemic. "This
has been another travel Armageddon weekend," James Ferrara, co-founder and
president of global host travel agency InteleTravel, told USA TODAY. "But
it's not isolated, or really a surprise." Friday was the busiest day for
air travel this year with over 2.4 million people passing through security at
U.S. airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration. On
Saturday, there were 2.1 million travelers.
The U.S. has dominated global
flight issues, but it isn't the only country having airline issues; worldwide,
an additional 3,500 flights have been canceled and over 23,000 have been
delayed this weekend. Currently, passenger volumes nationwide for this month
are 87.7% of 2019 volumes, according to TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers. The
average number of people screened per day is 2.24 million compared to 2.56
million in June 2019. "This is the highest sustained level we have seen
since travel began to recover from the pandemic," Dankers told USA TODAY
on Monday. Nationwide, Delta and United have the highest number of
cancellations, with 7% and 3% of flights canceled, respectively, not including
flights on their regional affiliates. Airports that are seeing the most issues
include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, John F. Kennedy
International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in the New York City area.
Why are flights being canceled
and delayed? There are several factors contributing to the ongoing
situation at the nation's airports, notably the severe storms that hit much of
the country the past week, the increased number of travelers during the
Father's Day and Juneteenth weekend and staff shortages. "A variety
of factors continue to impact our operations, including challenges with air
traffic control, weather and unscheduled absences in some work groups.
Canceling a flight is always our last resort, and we sincerely apologize to our
customers for the inconvenience to their travel plans," Delta spokesperson
Emily Cashdan said in a statement to USA TODAY. Ferrara said the loss of
skilled positions, such as pilots are aircrew, is "really what's
driving" all of the airline issues. Pilot unions at Delta, American and
Southwest have said airlines haven't been quick enough to replace pilots who
retired or took leaves of absences when the pandemic began. "We're
in a boom time for travel. We're blowing away all records all previous years.
So you've got this surge in demand, and you've got limitations on
staffing," Ferrara said.
On Thursday, Transportation
Secretary Pete Buttigieg met with airline CEOs virtually to discuss how
airlines can effectively handle the growing number of travelers through the
summer. The meeting came weeks after airlines struggled with the Memorial Day
holiday weekend, when around 2,800 flights were canceled during the five-day stretch.
"That is happening to a lot of
people, and that is exactly why we are paying close attention here to what can
be done and how to make sure that the airlines are delivering," Buttigieg
told The Associated Press on Saturday, one day after his own flight from
Washington, D.C. to New York City was canceled.
How long will flight
cancellations and delays continue to happen? "I'm not a betting man.
But I would absolutely bet that this will continue through the summer,"
Ferrara said. Josh Verde, former
pilot and aviation expert with airline consultation group Aerovise, said he
wouldn't be surprised if travel woes continue throughout the rest of the year.
Summer is expected to be the busiest time of the year, but holidays like
Thanksgiving and Christmas might bring similar issues for travelers. "I think we're probably going to be
dealing with headaches for the rest of this year. Hopefully, they'll get a
handle on things," Verde said.
What should travelers do? If
your flight is canceled, the U.S. Department of Transportation requires
airlines rebook you on the next available flight with space. You are not
obligated to accept it, and if so, the airline is required to give a refund,
which can be given as your money back, travel credit or voucher. If your
flight is delayed, the length of the delay matters. The DOT says passengers are
eligible for a refund regardless of cause as long as it is a "significant
delay." However, the definition of a "significant delay" depends
on the airline. "Learning
that your flight is canceled, kind of unexpectedly, really just causes
chaos," Verde said. Verde recommends travelers try to keep a
flexible schedule so if flight plans change, vacation plans and other scheduled
activities aren't heavily affected. He also advises people bring essential
items, like water, medication and toiletries, in their carry-on bag, so they
are available at any moment if people are unavailable to get to their checked
bag.
^ The current travel chaos across
the United States is more of a pandemic right now than Covid is. 10,000 flights
were either cancelled or delayed this 3 day holiday weekend alone and it is
expected to only get worse throughout the Summer. Clearly, the Airlines are not
doing everything they can and should (by law) to stop this madness. They try to
always blame the Weather since they its an “Act of God” and they are not responsible,
but weather is only a very small reason for the delays and cancellations.
It is mostly because of extremely high
shortages of ground crew at airports and flight crew on planes. The Federal
Government needs to stop threatening to do something to force the Airlines to stop
this continued chaos and step-in to help American Fliers. ^
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