With the decreasing number of covid cases, good weather, and an upcoming July Fourth break, who would ever sacrifice the chance to travel to the breezy sand beach or the peaceful mountain peak? Data clearly shows that the popularity vote of vacationing is unanimously increasing. A study done by the Transportation Security Administration reported screening 2,490,490 passengers last Friday – -the most since 2020. Yet, due to ongoing Covid precautions and increasing staff shortages, 464 U.S. flights were canceled and more than 6,600 were delayed, which means 28.8% scheduled flights were affected overall.
“We are back to pre-pandemic checkpoint volume.” Agency spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said on Saturday. However, these aren’t the first collection of flight cancellations and delays. The previous Juneteenth and Father’s Day weekend included 3,300 flight cancellations from Friday to Monday, following with 2,700 on the Memorial Day weekend.
Staffing shortages are also a reason for these delays. In particular, a pilot shortage began early this summer. “We never fathomed attrition levels like this,” Mesa CEO Jonathan Ornstein told the Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) last month. “If we don’t fly our airplanes, we lose money…” Ornstein said it would take Mesa as long as four months to replace a single pilot.
Last month in an interview at The Associated Press, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg talked with associates about his thoughts on the rapid increase of summer flight cancellations. Buttigieg later tweeted Saturday that travelers are “entitled to a cash refund” for a canceled flight. In fact, Buttigieg connected to this when one of his personal flights were cancelled and he swiftly claimed a $112 refund.
FlightAware spokeswoman Kathleen Bangs proclaimed that she expects the wave of cancellations to steady by mid-fall as airlines reduce their schedules and try to hire more pilots and staff members.
In conclusion, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and shortage of pilot staff members, flights have been delayed and cancelled with no alternative. Airlines are trying their best to hire more staff members and reduce schedules, but at the same time it’s important to take note that this many people shouldn’t be flying during the unforeseen coronavirus.
Links:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/record-july-4th-travel-weekend-thousands-flights-delayed-cancelled-rcna36497
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/airlines-pilot-shortage-flight-cancellations-summer-travel-rcna32613
“We are back to pre-pandemic checkpoint volume.” Agency spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said on Saturday. However, these aren’t the first collection of flight cancellations and delays. The previous Juneteenth and Father’s Day weekend included 3,300 flight cancellations from Friday to Monday, following with 2,700 on the Memorial Day weekend.
Staffing shortages are also a reason for these delays. In particular, a pilot shortage began early this summer. “We never fathomed attrition levels like this,” Mesa CEO Jonathan Ornstein told the Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) last month. “If we don’t fly our airplanes, we lose money…” Ornstein said it would take Mesa as long as four months to replace a single pilot.
Last month in an interview at The Associated Press, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg talked with associates about his thoughts on the rapid increase of summer flight cancellations. Buttigieg later tweeted Saturday that travelers are “entitled to a cash refund” for a canceled flight. In fact, Buttigieg connected to this when one of his personal flights were cancelled and he swiftly claimed a $112 refund.
FlightAware spokeswoman Kathleen Bangs proclaimed that she expects the wave of cancellations to steady by mid-fall as airlines reduce their schedules and try to hire more pilots and staff members.
In conclusion, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and shortage of pilot staff members, flights have been delayed and cancelled with no alternative. Airlines are trying their best to hire more staff members and reduce schedules, but at the same time it’s important to take note that this many people shouldn’t be flying during the unforeseen coronavirus.
Links:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/record-july-4th-travel-weekend-thousands-flights-delayed-cancelled-rcna36497
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/airlines-pilot-shortage-flight-cancellations-summer-travel-rcna32613
