In the July Fourth weekend, the Transportation Security Administration screened 2,490,490 people at security points. “The same day, 464 U.S. domestic and international flights were canceled and more than 6,600 were delayed”, according to the flight tracker FlightAware, which noted that they were 28.8% of scheduled flights overall. Out of those 2.5 million people, 717 thousand experienced some form of delay or even worse, cancellation.
More than 930 flights into and out of the U.S. were delayed on July 3rd with an additional 200 canceled. Chicago O’Hare International Airport and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport were the highest cancellations and delays among U.S. airports.
Considering an average of 100 people per flight, that’s 226 thousand people who experience flight issues.
Passengers have the right to claim refunds for canceled flights. Some airlines even offer miles, but for your best buck, listen to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “Sometimes an airline will offer you points or miles as compensation, but you are entitled to a cash refund when your flight is canceled. When deciding whether to accept miles, it’s helpful to know their value, which varies, but often is estimated at 1 to 1.5 cents per mile.” For example, if a person were to take a trip to Hawaii from New York, the average compensation in miles using Buttigieg’s conversion is around 60 dollars. However, flights to Hawaii can cost upwards to 1000 dollars, so in case, take a refund instead of mile points.
Airline executives have blamed understaffing for the delays and cancellations. “Staffing shortages, and a pilot shortage in particular, have led some airlines to preemptively cut thousands of flights for the summer season,” reported journalists Julianne McShane and David K. Li. Due to Covid, thousands of pilots were given early retirement packages or laid off.
FlightAware spokeswoman Kathleen Bangs has said she expects the wave of cancellations to stabilize by the fall as airlines reduce their flights and find more staff.
Link:https://www.nbcnews.com/news/record-july-4th-travel-weekend-thousands-flights-delayed-cancelled-rcna36497
More than 930 flights into and out of the U.S. were delayed on July 3rd with an additional 200 canceled. Chicago O’Hare International Airport and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport were the highest cancellations and delays among U.S. airports.
Considering an average of 100 people per flight, that’s 226 thousand people who experience flight issues.
Passengers have the right to claim refunds for canceled flights. Some airlines even offer miles, but for your best buck, listen to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “Sometimes an airline will offer you points or miles as compensation, but you are entitled to a cash refund when your flight is canceled. When deciding whether to accept miles, it’s helpful to know their value, which varies, but often is estimated at 1 to 1.5 cents per mile.” For example, if a person were to take a trip to Hawaii from New York, the average compensation in miles using Buttigieg’s conversion is around 60 dollars. However, flights to Hawaii can cost upwards to 1000 dollars, so in case, take a refund instead of mile points.
Airline executives have blamed understaffing for the delays and cancellations. “Staffing shortages, and a pilot shortage in particular, have led some airlines to preemptively cut thousands of flights for the summer season,” reported journalists Julianne McShane and David K. Li. Due to Covid, thousands of pilots were given early retirement packages or laid off.
FlightAware spokeswoman Kathleen Bangs has said she expects the wave of cancellations to stabilize by the fall as airlines reduce their flights and find more staff.
Link:https://www.nbcnews.com/news/record-july-4th-travel-weekend-thousands-flights-delayed-cancelled-rcna36497
