July 4th Sets Pre-Pandemic Travel Record
This has been a HUGE weekend for travel but it’s not all going smoothly. According to a recent piece on NBC, airports across the country are reporting record pre-pandemic numbers this 4th of July weekend but this has been marred slightly by thousands of flight delays.
TSA took to Twitter to say that they had screened over 2.490,000 passengers at airport security checkpoints by end of day on Friday. NBC tells us that this is the most since February 11, 2020. However, it is also estimated that on Friday alone, 464 US domestic flights were canceled and over 6,000 delayed. This means that nearly 29% of weekend flights have been impacted.
This morning, according to recent statistics by FlightAware, 930 flights were delayed with 200 cancellations. This followed Saturday’s 5,893 delays and 655 cancellations within or coming to or from the us.
Flight delays like the ones above are becoming all too familiar with a similar situation reported on both Juneteeth and over Father’s Day weekend which saw over 3,300 flight disruptions. Memorial Day weekend also saw over 2,700 flights canceled.
So what are the causes of the frequent delays and cancelations? According to NBC this can still be chalked up to pilot shortages and airlines cutting routes.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has advised that the government is waiting to see how travel goes over this busy holiday weekend before determining what measures to take to scale back the number of delays and cancellations happening across the country. Buttigieg took to Twitter over the weekend and reminded passengers that they can claim refunds for cancelled flights. “Airlines offer miles as compensation for some travel issues, and you can often negotiate on this. That’s between you and the airline,” Buttigieg tweeted. “But you are entitled to cash refunds for canceled flights — that’s a requirement that we will continue to enforce.”
This is no doubt having an impact on those coming in and out of Orlando International Airport (MCO) which is the major airport serving Walt Disney World. However, neither MCO nor the House of Mouse have commented on crowds over the busy holiday period. We do know that park passes are available at select Walt Disney World theme parks throughout the upcoming week.
We will continue to follow this story closely and will keep you updated.
Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for further Disney-related news and updates.
Did you know? Walt Disney World packages for 2023 are now available to book!
With new policies and procedures in place during the year ahead, there’s never been a better time to work with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner who can help you navigate through Disney World’s new way of doing things! I’ll be on hand to assist with everything from finding that perfect package and getting the best deals to organizing park passes, Disney Genie+ and dining reservations. Best of all- my services are ABSOLUTELY FREE!
Just fill out my form HERE to get your FREE, no-obligation quote. Alternatively, feel free to reach out at mroden@mickeytravels.com or follow along on Facebook
Source: MSNB