With the rise of gas prices and airport chaos, Americans didn’t let that stop them from enjoying their Fourth of July. Millions of travelers packed for the long holiday weekend, and many encountered bedlam at airports, with thousands of flights delayed or canceled.
Lisa Farbstein, the Transportation Security Administration agency spokesperson, tweeted “TSA officers screened 2,490,490 people at airport security checkpoints nationwide [Friday] – the most since February 11, 2020, when it screened more than 2.5 million passengers.”
Additionally, according to the flight tracker FlightAware, 28.8% of scheduled flights were canceled or delayed on Friday. Then on Sunday morning, more than 930 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were delayed, and more than 200 were canceled, according to data from FlightAware.
The staffing shortage, particularly the lack of pilot staff, was one factor that led some airlines to ultimately cut thousands of flights for the summer season. Airline executives have also blamed understaffing at the Federal Aviation Administration for flight cancellations and delays. The FAA argued the claim in a statement.
For passengers who are worried about the canceled flights and how they will get their money back, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted, “Airlines offer miles as compensation for some travel issues, and you can often negotiate on this. That’s between you and the airline. But you are entitled to cash refunds for canceled flights – that’s a requirement that we will continue to enforce.”
Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/record-july-4th-travel-weekend-thousands-flights-delayed-cancelled-rcna36497
Lisa Farbstein, the Transportation Security Administration agency spokesperson, tweeted “TSA officers screened 2,490,490 people at airport security checkpoints nationwide [Friday] – the most since February 11, 2020, when it screened more than 2.5 million passengers.”
Additionally, according to the flight tracker FlightAware, 28.8% of scheduled flights were canceled or delayed on Friday. Then on Sunday morning, more than 930 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were delayed, and more than 200 were canceled, according to data from FlightAware.
The staffing shortage, particularly the lack of pilot staff, was one factor that led some airlines to ultimately cut thousands of flights for the summer season. Airline executives have also blamed understaffing at the Federal Aviation Administration for flight cancellations and delays. The FAA argued the claim in a statement.
For passengers who are worried about the canceled flights and how they will get their money back, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted, “Airlines offer miles as compensation for some travel issues, and you can often negotiate on this. That’s between you and the airline. But you are entitled to cash refunds for canceled flights – that’s a requirement that we will continue to enforce.”
Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/record-july-4th-travel-weekend-thousands-flights-delayed-cancelled-rcna36497
