Not only is it hot as the devil outside, but travelers have an added reason to be irritated – canceled or delayed airline flights.
More than 1,300 U.S. flights were canceled as of 5 p.m. ET Friday with over 5,000 more posting delays, according to FlightAware, which tracks flights in real-time.
Today’s travel headache comes on the heels of one of the worst travel days yet as the peak of the summer vacation season heats up. Thursday saw over 1,750 U.S. flights canceled,
Nationwide, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have the most cancellations so far, with their schedules reduced by 8 percent and 7 percent, respectively, Friday. The numbers do not include flights on their regional affiliates, which operate as American Eagle and Delta Connection.
“The vast majority of that is weather-related,” said Curtis Blessing, spokesman for American Airlines. He noted that weather in the Miami area was also contributing to delays for the carrier on Friday morning, according to USA Today.
Airlines kicked off the busy summer travel season by canceling about 3,500 flights in a five-day stretch around the Memorial Day holiday weekend. And it seems like the situation isn’t much better this weekend.
Perhaps most telling is that this weekend’s delays and cancellations come about after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg met with airline CEOs in a virtual meeting on Thursday, reports Reuters.
Buttigieg called the virtual meeting specifically to address the Memorial Day holiday flight cancellations after two U.S. senators asked whether airlines were being held accountable for the disruptions.
According to a source used by Reuters, Buttigieg “pushed the airlines to scrutinize whether they can reliably operate the schedules they have published and future schedules under consideration,”
Buttigieg asked the chief executives to detail steps to address issues going into July 4th holiday and summer season and urged airlines to improve customer service to quickly accommodate customers after canceled flights, the source added.
If your flight is canceled, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) requires airlines to rebook you on their next available service with space. If that will not work for you, the carrier is required to offer you a refund, even if you bought a nonrefundable ticket.
Flight delays are a bit different. The DOT does require compensation for “significant delays” but has no official definition for what counts as “significant.”
