Travelers on Memorial Day meet 1200 plus Sunday
NEW YORK – Air travelers are not only facing sticker shocks this Memorial Day weekend, the start of the summer travel season. They also have to deal with a bunch of cancellations of flights.
More than 1,300 flights were canceled at 3:45 p.m. EST Sunday, according to FlightAware. There were more than 1,500 cancellations on Saturday and 2,300 on Friday.
Delta Air Lines suffered the most, with more than 250 flights, or 9% of operations, eliminated on Saturday. The cancellations continued until Sunday, with almost 160 flights, or 6% of operations, eliminated.
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, where Delta is based and has its largest hub, was hit hard by delays and cancellations. On Saturday, 5% of flights there were canceled, and 1[ads1]9% delayed. By Sunday, 3% were canceled and 4% delayed.
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Delta noted in an email to The Associated Press that Saturday’s cancellations were the result of bad weather and “flight control actions”, noting that they are trying to cancel flights at least 24 hours in advance this Memorial Day weekend.
Delta announced on its website on Thursday that from July 1 to August 7, they will reduce the service by around 100 daily departures, primarily in parts of the United States and Latin America that Delta often serves.
“More than ever in our history, the various factors that currently affect our operations – weather and air traffic control, supplier staffing, increased covid case numbers that contribute to higher than planned unplanned absences in some workgroups – result in an operation that is inconsistent up to the standards Delta has set for the industry in recent years, “said Delta Chief Customer Experience Officer Allison Ausband in a post.
Meanwhile, at Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, dozens of flights were canceled or delayed.
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Airlines and tourist destinations are expecting monster crowds this summer as travel restrictions ease and pandemic fatigue overcomes the persistent fear of getting covid-19 while traveling.
Many forecasters believe the number of travelers will match or even exceed pre-pandemic levels. But the airlines have thousands fewer employees than they had in 2019, and this has at times contributed to extensive cancellations of flights.
People who are only now booking travel for the summer are experiencing the sticker shock.
Domestic airline prices for the summer are on average more than $ 400 for a round trip, 24% higher than this time in 2019, before the pandemic, and a robust 45% higher than a year ago, according to travel data company Hopper.
Contributor: AP airline author David Koenig in Dallas and USA TODAY’s Grace Hauck in Chicago contributed to this report.
