Air travelers face cancellations over Memorial Day weekend

NEW YORK (AFP) – Airlines travelers don’t just face sticker shock this Memorial Day weekendThe beginning of the summer travel season. They’re also dealing with a backlog of flight cancellations.

More than 1,500 flights have been canceled as of 9:50 p.m. EDT Saturday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. This came after more than 2,300 cancellations on Friday.

Delta Air Lines has suffered the most among US airlines, with more than 250 flights, or 9% of its operations, being canceled on Saturday. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where Delta is located and has its largest hub, has experienced significant travel delays. 5% of flights were canceled, Saturday, and 16% were delayed.

Delta indicated in an email to the Associated Press that Saturday’s cancellation was due to bad weather and “air traffic control measures,” noting that it is trying to cancel flights at least 24 hours before Memorial Day weekend.

Delta announced on its website Thursday that from July 1 to August 3. 7, the service will reduce by about 100 daily departures, primarily in parts of the United States and Latin America that Delta frequently serves.

“More than at any time in our history, the various factors currently affecting our operations — weather and air traffic control, vendor personnel, and increased COVID case rates contributing to higher-than-planned unscheduled absences in some workgroups — are leading to a process that is driving the process of evasion,” Allison said. Abend, Delta’s Chief Customer Experience Officer, Alison Abend in a post: “This does not consistently align with the standards that Delta has set for the industry in recent years.”

Airlines and tourist destinations are expecting huge crowds this summer as travel restrictions ease and pandemic fatigue overcomes the persistent fear of contracting COVID-19 while travelling.

Many forecasters believe that the number of travelers will match or even exceed levels in the good old days before the pandemic. However, airlines have thousands of fewer employees than in 2019, and this has at times contributed to widespread flight cancellations.

People who only book for summer travel are suffering from sticker shock.

Domestic airfares for the summer average more than $400 a round trip, 24% higher than this time in 2019, before the pandemic, and 45% higher than last year, according to travel data company Huber.

____

Dallas-based writer David Koenig contributed to this report.