Millions of Americans getting stranded across US as airlines delay or cancel flights from bad weather & pilot shortages
MILLIONS of Americans are being stranded at airports after an increase in significant flight delays and last-minute cancellations due to bad weather and staff shortages.
The easing of pandemic restrictions and increase in vaccinations has resulted in a stampede to airports, with a summer surge hitting its peak on July 4 weekend.
According to data from FlightAware, JetBlue delayed 51 percent of its flights between July 1 and July 6.
Southwest delayed 39 percent and American Airlines delayed 34 percent of flights, the data adds.
VACATION DAYS LOST
Angered passenger Laura Kinney told The Sun that she was on the phone with JetBlue customer service for three hours before being disconnected after her flight from JFK to Sarasota was canceled at the last minute and she was transferred to a Newark to Tampa flight.
“The pilots are there, but their hands are tied because they aren’t fully trained and they can’t fly yet.”
Senator Maria Cantwell last week called on six airlines to explain the delays and why there could be staff shortages after the large investment of federal funding.
She sent letters to the CEOs of American, Southwest, Delta, JetBlue, Republic, and Allegiant.
AIRLINES HIT BACK
Cantwell accused the airlines of failing “to meet the intent of taxpayer funding and prepare for the surge in travel that we are now witnessing.”
Several of the major airlines have refuted claims that there is an increased number of delays and cancellations in the last few months as they announce attempts to bump up staffing numbers.
Last week, American Airlines announced that it will recall 3,300 flight attendants from long-term leave and hire 800 more before the end of the year.
Delta also announced that it will hire 5,000 workers this year.
However, some airlines have also hit back at competitors and contested that they are not seeing the same problems caused by staffing shortages.
“Here at United, we have not been seeing these issues due to the fact that we have been planning for this moment for more than a year,” a spokesperson from United Airlines told The Sun.
“Since the earliest days of the pandemic, at United, we have matched our schedule to demand with a high level of coordination and communication between our network planning teams and operating groups.”
Caring for our customers by providing a safe, reliable travel experience is always our top priority.
American Airlines
A spokesperson from Delta echoed the statement claiming “we are not seeing what some of our competitors are reportedly doing due to staffing pressure.”
“There is no impact to our schedules or operations for our customers,” they added.
“Our people are working hard to provide a safe, reliable, and enjoyable flight experience as more and more of our customers return to travel this summer.”
American Airlines said that it had recently seen improvements to its operation after adjusting its scheduling due to the increase in delays of its flights.
The airline previously said that “unprecedented weather” combined with labor shortages with vendors had caused the issue.
“Caring for our customers by providing a safe, reliable travel experience is always our top priority,” a spokesperson said.
“Last month, we took action to build in additional resilience and certainty to our operation by adjusting some of our scheduled flying through mid-July.
“As a result, we immediately saw improvement in our July operation — including over the busy July 4 holiday weekend — and that momentum has continued.”
INCREASE IN PASSENGERS
American Airlines noted the marked increase in passengers in the past month in particular.
Last Friday, it carried 625,537 customers, the highest number of the summer so far and highest since late February 2020.
The airline also contested the number of cancelations cited by FlightAware.
It said that so far in July, less than two percent of its flights had been canceled and of those called off, 70 percent had been as a result of the weather.
JetBlue and Southwest Airlines did not respond to a request for comment.
However, Southwest, one of the hardest hit with delays, told The Associated Press last week that it will use federal funding to continue to fly to all the airports it served before the pandemic.
It added that recent delays were due to thunderstorms and technology “challenges.”
The federal aid for the industry has now been extended through to September 30.
Yet some experts are warning passengers to expect disruptions to continue as the industry finds its feet again.
“It’s going to be uncertain,” Mike Boyd, an aviation analyst with Boyd Group International, told the Post.
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Travelers are advised to protect themselves by booking their flights with potential cancellations in mind by finding tickets with a flexible fare that will allow for a free date or destination change.
It is also advised to count in some buffer time, if possible, for traveling for an event.