Thousands of flights around the world have been canceled this busy Memorial Day weekend as of Monday afternoon.
More than 1,400 flights around the world were canceled on Sunday. This followed over 2,300 cancellations on Friday and another 1,500 on Saturday. More than 250 flight cancellations on Sunday involved aircraft scheduled to fly to or from US cities.
Delta Air Lines has canceled the most flights among major US airlines, with more than 250 flights canceled on Saturday, or 9% of its operations. More than 140 Delta flights had been canceled by Sunday afternoon, according to FlightAware.
Airlines and travel destinations are expecting huge crowds this summer as travel restrictions ease and pandemic fatigue overcomes lingering fears of contracting COVID-19 while traveling.
Many forecasters believe that the number of travelers will equal or even exceed pre-pandemic levels. However, airlines have thousands fewer employees than in 2019, and this has sometimes led to massive flight cancellations.
But at the same time, domestic summer fares average over $400 per round trip, up 24% from this time in 2019, before the pandemic, and 45% higher than a year ago, according to data. about travel. Hopper Company.
Meanwhile, gasoline prices may not have hindered Memorial Day travel, but there are no signs of a price drop.
Even if you drive your own car, it will still be expensive. On Thursday, the national average for regular gasoline hit $4.60 a gallon — more than $6 in California. These prices have made some people consider staying at home.
“You really don’t get used to $6 gas,” San Diego’s Juliet Ripley said when she paid $46.38 to fill 7.1 gallons into her Honda Civic. The single mother of two has no summer vacation plans other than occasional trips to a nearby beach.
However, for those who decide to travel, the question remains whether airlines, airports, hotels and other tourism enterprises can handle them.
Airlines are cutting summer timetables to avoid overburdening their staff and canceling flights at the last minute.
