The trend of major holidays kneecapping American air carriers has continued, with Memorial Day weekend marred by thousands of flight cancellations and delays across the country. According to experts, the hellish weekend of grueling interruptions has set the bar for what many travelers should expect for summer travel, according to experts.
Throughout the course of the holiday weekend, over 2,800 flights were canceled. While stormy weather in Florida and New York carries some of the blame, airlines have noted that they are still facing the same staffing issues that have triggered disruptions throughout the last year.
In general, flying has been a delay and cancellation-ridden gamble for months. As far back as December and January, airlines have struggled during travel peaks to maintain consistent flight schedules, though there was a slight lull in the last months of winter. In the spring, however, mass delays in Florida hinted at the possibility of more significant disruptions throughout the rest of the year.
Unlike holiday peaks, however, summer travel is consistently high for months. Last year's resurgence of travel demand, which so far pales compared to this year's spike, still overwhelmed airlines from Spirit
Shortages of personnel from pilots to flight attendants to even air traffic controllers have left many airlines and flight control centers scrambling to cover every open post. As was the case throughout the last year with the perpetual delays airlines have faced, airlines are largely unable to keep up this balancing act for long, with crews timing out legally or burning out physically, leaving planes unable to be loaded or take off. Even as companies try to hire new employees, many have noted a lack of personnel to onboard and train recruits, which has hamstrung many airlines looking to replenish their COVID-based attrition.
Those staffing issues are likely to continue throughout the summer, meaning that consumers are likely to face inflated ticket prices, continual delays, and rampant cancellations.
