Summer Travel Disruptions Forecast Ahead of Fourth of July Weekend

Americans may be forced to put their Independence Day celebrations on hold as travel woes continue to plague the country. The week leading up to the Fourth of July weekend has seen a chaotic mix of flight delays and cancellations, with travelers facing frustration and disruption across the nation.

From Monday through Wednesday, at least 28,000 flights were delayed each day, with a staggering 1,200 flights canceled. Monday and Tuesday saw the highest number of cancellations, with over 2,200 each. The Federal Aviation Administration forecasted 29 June as the busiest day for air travel during the summer, with 52,564 scheduled flights.

As of 1pm ET on Thursday, over 19,000 flights across the country had been delayed, and 1,160 had been canceled. Typically, only around 1,000 flights are delayed and a few hundred are canceled on a given day. The surge in holiday travel has exacerbated the issue, with severe weather and staffing problems taking a toll on the airline industry.

The Transportation Security Administration’s daily checkpoint travel numbers reveal that more people are flying in the days leading up to the Fourth of July weekend this year than in previous years, including before the pandemic. According to the auto insurance agency AAA, 50.7 million Americans will travel over 50 miles for this Fourth of July weekend, with just over 43 million traveling by car. This beats 2019’s record of 49 million travelers for the holiday.

Passengers on United have been the most affected, with over 2,000 cancellations and over 40,000 of its flights experiencing delays. United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, stated in a memo to employees that an estimated 150,000 United customers were affected by delays or cancellations, which were exacerbated by FAA staffing shortages.

The FAA has been facing air traffic controller staffing issues since the start of the pandemic, with 20 of the 26 major air traffic control centers in the country staffed at below 85% of the threshold. The agency has not directly responded to United’s allegations, but has stated that it will work with airlines to minimize disruptions during the busy Fourth of July travel weekend.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote on Twitter that airlines aside from United have recovered to a more typical cancellation and delay rate following the severe weather earlier in the week. He emphasized that the department will continue to work with airlines to minimize disruptions during the Fourth of July travel weekend.