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The start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend is just one day away, but troubles at the airport haven’t eased.
Travelers from coast-to-coast have found themselves in a bind as airlines continue to cancel and delay a multitude of flights right before the major summer holiday where over 47 million people are expected to travel. About 3.55 million are expected to fly, according to AAA.
More than 2,400 flights in, out of and across the United States were delayed and another 418 were canceled as of 3:30 p.m. ET Thursday, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.
FLIGHTMARE: THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS CANCELED, DELAYED, DO YOU NEED INSURANCE?
Travellers check departure screens for their flight status at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh / AP Newsroom)
Thousands of flights have been disrupted each day this week with delays reaching as high as 5,777 on Wednesday, according to FlightAware. A day before that, delays reached above 4,500, according to the data.
Travelers have faced issues throughout the summer even after airlines dropped 15% of the flights they originally planned for June through August to make the remaining flights more reliable, according to Airlines for America President Nicholas Calio.
FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS, DELAYS PUT AMERICANS’ TRUST IN AIRLINES TO THE TEST
Airlines struggled with bad weather and shortages of workers, especially pilots, leading to widespread cancellations over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, which typically kicks off the summer travel season. Cancelations reached 4.7% on the Friday of that holiday weekend, according to FlightAware.
A flight shows cancelled on the departures board at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon / AP Newsroom)
FlightAware spokesperson Kathleen Bangs told FOX Business that things didn’t get any easier over Father’s Day and the Juneteenth holiday weekend, either. The website saw a “streak of delays and even higher cancellations,” according to Bangs. On Thursday and Friday of that weekend, cancellations reached 6% and 5%, respectively, she said.
Over the past weekend, over 18,000 flights were delayed from Friday through Sunday, according to FlightAware data. Each day, 23% of all flights were delayed and about 3% were canceled, according to the data.
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Delta Air Lines previously told FOX Business that its teams “continue to safely manage through compounding factors affecting our operations, including higher-than-planned unscheduled absences in some of our work groups, weather and air traffic control constraints.”
Canceling a flight “is always our last resort, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for any disruption to their travel plans,” Delta added.
Southwest told FOX Business that it has “been hard at work to prepare for this busy season and have taken numerous steps aimed toward supporting operational performance.”
Since May, Southwest said it has posted solid operational reliability in terms of flight completions and a cancellation rate among the lowest of ranked carriers.”
Representatives for JetBlue, American and United Airlines have not immediately returned FOX Business’ request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
