More than 100 flights have been canceled and many more delayed in the busiest travel weekend since the start of the pandemic, with thousands facing Labor Day travel woes.
Airlines and airports are blaming travel disruptions for staffing shortages, bad weather, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stops, and even today’s shuttle launch failure.
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Delays and cancellations will wreak havoc on thousands of people as experts predict more Americans will travel by plane and by car this weekend since the pandemic began.
AAA spokesperson Ellen Edmonds told The Washington Post that domestic travel bookings, including flights, cars, cruises, hotels and tours, increased 22% over Labor Day weekend in 2021. .
Travel booking app Hopper expects 12.8 million Americans to fly domestically Thursday through Monday.
International travel has increased by 102% since COVID restrictions were eased, with a total of 1.8 million travelers heading abroad.
“It’s going to be busier than last Labor Day weekend,” Tampa International Airport spokesperson Emily Nippes told WFTS.
“We are definitely seeing some peak days that are actually higher than we saw pre-pandemic.”
According to FlightAware, 105 flights inside and outside the US have been canceled today.
A total of 1,622 US flights have been delayed.
Passengers facing lengthy delays and cancellations share their anger at having their holiday weekends ruined.
“I was so frustrated because I was late. The first flight was delayed and I was trying to get back on time, but the second plane was delayed,” Garvin Zephyrin told WFTS.
The US Department of Transportation recently created an airline customer service dashboard that allows passengers to search for benefits and accommodations if their flight is delayed or cancelled.
“If you’re saying, ‘Hey, it was our fault. We failed.’
“That’s great. You’ll be like, ‘This is what we can do for you.'” Now, to be honest, I feel more comfortable flying with that airline.
With approximately 340,000 travelers passing through Tampa International Airport, it will be a very busy weekend for airlines nationwide.
“On average, about 60,000 passengers pass through the airport each day,” Nipps said.
“From pop-up storms to shuttle launches, Florida airspace fills up, which could delay flights,” Nippes said.
However, travel experts say delays are not expected to be as bad as in recent months.
“The FAA, the airlines, everyone is doing their part to get back to normal as soon as possible and we are seeing significant improvements,” Nipps said.
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) will receive 481,000 visitors this weekend, ABC6 reports.
They spoke to travelers who have actually improved the hassle of flying at the airport.
“I feel like flight delays and cancellations are not so common anymore,” said Shondra Borges.
PHL officials say there will actually be fewer tourists on Sunday.
Officials say if you’re passing through the PHL, make sure you take a ride as parking spaces are limited in the on-site garage and economy lot.
Tampa International Airport is also struggling to accommodate parking passengers.
“There is some construction going on that will affect short-term garages, so there will be peak times that will divert people from short-term garages and then park in long-term garages,” Nipps said. rice field.
You can also reserve your Tampa Airport parking lot online.
