Why US air travellers are facing turbulence over 4 July holiday weekend

People in the US getting ready to travel by air over the 4 of July holiday weekend are facing flight delays and cancellations. Already, 50,000 flights have been either delayed or cancelled with passengers left little option but to vent their frustration on social media. But why are US travellers facing these issues? Let’s take a closer look: Millions set to travel Millions of people in the United States will be travelling for the holiday weekend. According to AAA, around 51 million Americans will travel 80 kilometres or more from home between 30 June and 4 July. This is about a four per cent increase from 2019 levels, the current record year for July 4th travel. Of these, 43 million people are likely to drive to their destinations, while around three million people will travel by bus, cruise liner, or train over the long weekend.

According to NPR, around four million are likely to travel by air.

“A lot of people are going to be traveling, and that’s despite high ticket prices, despite inflation. People still have that desire to get out of town and do something fun,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz told the outlet. “Demand for travel is very strong. We’ve seen it rising each year as the pandemic has sort of neared the end, and 2023 has just been huge for travel,” Diaz added. American Airlines says it expects nearly three million customers from 30 June to 4 July across more than 26,000 scheduled flights. Airlines struggle to cope Anticipating a busy summer, US airlines have taken measures like trimming schedules and beefing up staffing to prevent large-scale flight disruptions. But recent disruptions are raising fresh questions about airlines’ readiness to handle the summer travel rush. Newsweek reported that hundreds of flights in the US were cancelled on Thursday alone, while 1,200 flights were cancelled on Wednesday and another 7,000 delayed due to bad weather. [caption id=“attachment_12811672” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Travelers waited out widespread delays at US airports on Tuesday, an ominous sign heading into the long 4 July holiday weekend, which is shaping up as the biggest test yet for airlines that are struggling to keep up with surging numbers of passengers. AP[/caption] Last weekend, thunderstorms and failing equipment at an FAA facility in the Washington area created significant delays for air travelers on the US East Coast. About 43,000 flights were delayed and over 7,700 were cancelled between 24 June and 29 June, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. United Airlines bore the brunt of the disruptions, with about 19 per cent of its scheduled flights cancelled and about 47 per cent delayed. While the cancellations on Thursday were fewer than those in previous days in the week, United still scrapped 18 per cent of its flights, data from FlightAware showed.

The Chicago-based carrier said its operations were beginning to see improvement.

“We’re beginning to see improvement across our operation. We expect to cancel far fewer seats today compared to yesterday and our baggage backlog at Newark has dropped more than 30 per cent since Tuesday, and off-duty flight attendants are calling in from across the country to staff open trips,” United told the outlet. “It’s all hands on deck as our pilots get aircraft moving, contact centre teams work overtime to take care of our customers, and our airport customer service staff works tirelessly to deliver bags and board flights. As our operation improves in the days ahead, we will be on track to restore our operation for the holiday weekend.” Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg has called the summer travel season a “stress test” for airline operations. “Nobody can control the weather, but it is important for airlines to create enough cushion in resilience in the system,” Buttigieg told CNN. But United CEO Scott Kirby has blamed the Federal Aviation Administration for making the situation worse. In a staff memo, he said over 150,000 United customers were affected last weekend because of FAA staffing issues and its impact on managing traffic. But NBC quoted the Association of Flight Attendants as blaming United. The union said employees had to wait for more than three hours for their assignments due to “limited telephone lines and personnel.” Buttigieg tweeted on Thursday: “With the exception of United, airlines have recovered to a more typical cancellation/delay rate as of this morning, after the severe weather earlier this week. FAA will continue to work with airlines to help them minimize disruptions during the busy 4th of July travel weekend.”

But Senator Ted Cruz sided with United.

More from Explainers

Donald Trump and Republicans are fighting over 'blue slips'. But what are they? Surat at standstill, exports halted: How Trump’s tariffs cast a pall over ‘Diamond City’

“Staffing at FAA’s air traffic facilities in NY is at 54%,” Cruz tweeted. “Yet the Transportation Department is blaming weather for delays. Nonsense.” [caption id=“attachment_12811702” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The airlines and FAA are pointing fingers at each other.[/caption] The disruptions have left passengers fuming, with many United customers venting frustration on social media about long lines, delays in rebooking flights and misplaced luggage. “My flight has been cancelled like five times now. I slept at the airport two nights, I booked two hotels, I spent over $700 since I’ve been here and they said they’re not going to reimburse me because it’s weather-related,” traveller Tia Hudson told NBC. “It’s not weather-related. It’s a shortage of pilots and attendants.” “I just want to get away from this airport, but they say nobody is leaving until Saturday,” Hudson, who missed her mother’s wedding and whose bags were lost, added. The carrier has been apologizing to customers on Twitter for delays in responding to complaints, citing high call volumes. The airline has said it would be “on track” to restore operations for the holiday weekend when it expects 5 million people to fly with it. Its bookings are up about 12 per cent from last year and have nearly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. But things are expected to get worse. Scott Keyes, the founder and chief flight expert of Going.com, told Travel and Leisure, “Storms are hitting the East Coast at the worst time: right as the July 4th travel weekend begins to take-off.” “Expect long lines, few empty seats, and lengthy hold times to get ahold of customer service phone agents.” Could 5G affect travel? According to NPR, 5G could also play a role in potentially affecting air travel. Buttigieg last week warned airlines it could face disruptions if their planes are not equipped to handle 5G signals. American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines told The Associated Press that all their planes have been retrofitted and that they don’t expect any problems.

But United merely said its “mainline jets” were prepared.

Trade group Airlines for America (A4A) told NPR its members “are working diligently to ensure fleets are equipped with compliant radio altimeters, but global supply chains continue to lag behind current demand. Carriers have repeatedly communicated this reality to the government. … Nevertheless, thanks to careful planning, A4A member carriers are confident in their ability to maintain the integrity of their schedules, despite the impending deadline.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.