Countless passengers spent the weekend impatiently loitering in airports as airlines such as JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) and Southwest (NYSE: LUV) canceled thousands of flights.
With Spring fully in swing, students across the country are making travel plans as their upcoming break approaches, while workers book getaways to popular destinations such as Florida. However, the usual spring rush of tourists seems to have hit more than the usual assortment of snags, with upwards of 10,000 flights canceled over the weekend and many more heavily delayed. Some airlines were still reporting delays as of Monday morning.
Many airlines have attributed a combination of factors to the issues, though one common theme was rough weather in Florida. Spring brings a rush of unpredictable weather, such as sudden afternoon thunderstorms or the rapid formation of massive severe weather systems that can hit several states in a day or two. Florida's geography and location make it a hotbed of such weather, though airlines know to expect this weather yearly and regularly plan for it.
Compounding weather delays were a number of "technical" delays reported by airlines. American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) noted that air traffic control priorities "impacted our operations with most northbound and southbound routes through and to Florida affected," with other airlines noting that controllers either slowed or outright halted air traffic.
Based on similar widespread delays that broke out just months ago with inclement winter weather, it can be assumed that airlines are still struggling to restore their lost capabilities that have atrophied amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Southwest Airlines (NASDAQ: LUV), in particular, is experiencing almost identical problems to what it faced in December with vague "technological" issues and difficulties in relieving flight crews that have "timed out" and must be rotated out. At the time, the company's pilot's union noted, "our operation and our frontline employees have endured continuous and unending disruptions since the first time our airline made headlines in early June due to widespread IT failures."