Travel chaos continued for tens of thousands of people over the Forth of July weekend more than 350 flights have been canceled and over 1,200 more were delayed this morning – leaving holiday plans in tatters.
The busiest travel day of the weekend was Friday, but massive crowds are expected through Tuesday, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
The number of Americans traveling by air for the Fourth of July holiday is expected to reach 25 million, surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time in four years.
As of Sunday morning, there were 359 flights within, into, or out of the United States that have been canceled already today. There have been another 1,226 flights delayed so far.
The chaos began ahead of the holiday weekend as storms began walloping the northeast and parts of the Midwest, causing mass delays and cancelations into and out of New York area airports.
Stranded passengers have reported having to sleep at the airport and stand in line for hours as they tried to rebook their flights, with some saying they were forced to wait several days for their checked bags.
Travel chaos continued for tens of thousands of people over the Forth of July weekend as hundreds of flights were canceled and more than 1,000 have been delayed this morning
ATLANTA: Stranded passengers have reported having to sleep at the airport and stand in line for hours as they tried to rebook their flights, with some saying they were forced to wait several days for their checked bags
The mass debacle also comes about a week after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned of forthcoming travel disruptions due to a July 1 5G service boost that US wireless companies plan to execute.
US planes that are not retrofitted to withstand interference from the new 5G wireless signals may not be permitted to land in low-visibility conditions.
Many who took to social media to rage about their travel experiences this weekend called on Buttigieg to do something.
Bree Hocking reported having three cancelations and being stuck at the Denver Airport with no accommodation.
‘It’s 4:30am in the Denver airport. Cleaners are about now. Since Thursday, I’ve had 3 cancellations. multiple delays. and no accommodation. @united this is unacceptable. do better. @SecretaryPete @nytimes.’
Another tweet from Hocking read: ‘Sunrise at the Denver airport. No such thing as beauty sleep here. Not a wink. Thanks @United for a truly miserable start to the holiday weekend. Compensate and accommodate your passengers. @SecretaryPete @nytimes.’
NEW YORK CITY: People wait in line at the security check-in of JFK International airport Friday
CHICAGO: The number of Americans traveling by air for the Fourth of July holiday is expected to reach 25 million, surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time in four years
Bree Hocking tweeted about three cancelations at Denver Airport with no accommodation
Brian Sims, a public policy and civil rights activist who was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 182nd district from 2013 until 2022, shared a thread of tweets detailing his experience with American Airlines and how he instead got help from United.
‘IT’S OVER! More than 24 hours later, 3 cities, and experiencing @AmericanAir’s predatory scheduling practices up close and center, it took @united to actually get me home. I’ll follow up as I learn more from American, but I’m grateful for the support. Don’t fly American Air,’ he wrote hours after his ordeal.
On Day 2 of his ordeal, Sims wrote that ‘American Airlines made this the worst flying experience of my adulthood.’
Sims also tweeted advice for his fellow passengers: ‘TRAVEL ADVICE: Learn from my mistake. The only customer service travelers are going to get from @American is in response to public posts. That’s frustrating. If you’re having terrible service, no service, or on-going issues with American, post publicly and also tag @FAANews.’
Brian Sims, a public policy and civil rights activist, shared a thread of tweets detailing his experience with American Airlines and how he instead got help from United
WASHINGTON DC: Delayed travelers wait for air traffic to resume at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend in Arlington
SALT LAKE CITY: Travelers walk through crowds at airport in Salt Lake amid hundreds delays
Travelers in a United Airlines check in line ahead of the holiday weekend in Atlanta
Embattled United Airlines is offering 30,000 free air miles to those who were forced to spend nights in airports and to those who didn’t get to their destinations at all.
On top of the hundreds of cancelations and delays last week, United was also scrambling to save face after it emerged that the carrier’s CEO, Scott Kirby, flew privately from New York to Denver, while paying customers were left sleeping on airport floors.
‘Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home,’ Kirby said in a statement issued by the airline.
Passengers were unimpressed, with one tweeting a screenshot of his $10 million salary – significantly more than the CEOs of Delta or American Airlines.
In a letter to those worst affected by this week’s chaos, Chief Customer Officer Linda Jojo said: ‘I know this week was hard. Really bad weather, air traffic control issues and some of our own operational challenges led to a rough experience for you and many of our customers.
‘Providing these miles is the right thing to do. After all, you put your trust in us and expect more,’ Jojo added.
United have not said how many people will receive the miles.
Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines. His airline is offering air miles as an apology to passengers stranded this week
Passengers have been offered 30,000 free air miles in a bid to try and keep them flying
Some travelers were told Monday that they may not be able to get on flights until Thursday
On Saturday, Kirby said the airline plans to make changes in flight operations to avoid weather-related disruptions ahead of the Fourth of July holiday travel.
‘While we work to control the things that are within our control, we must also do a better job of planning against the things that are outside our control so that we can be in a position to recover more quickly,’ Kirby said in a note.
Last month, United canceled about 19 percent of its scheduled flights as thunderstorms and equipment failures at a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facility in Washington caused significant delays for air travelers on the U.S. East Coast.
About 26,000 flights were delayed by all airlines during a weekend in June after thunderstorms ripped through parts of the U.S., according to data from flight monitoring service FlightAware. Kirby last week blamed the FAA for recent flight cancellations.
United Airlines is also working with Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to get more gates, Kirby said, adding that the company would have to further change or reduce its schedule give itself more spare gates and buffer, particularly during storm season.
‘Airlines can plan for things like hurricanes, sub-zero temperatures and snowstorms, but United has never seen an extended limited operating environment like the one we saw this past week at Newark,’ Kirby said in a note to employees.
