Opt into flight notifications and start manually checking the status of your flight regularly, at least 24 hours in advance. But if you booked the last flight of the day to your destination, that may mean having to wait until morning - and either pacing through the airport for hours or booking a night in a nearby hotel.ĭownload the airline's app on your phone. If you miss a connection, most airlines will work diligently to get you on the next available flight. And with most airlines closing the plane doors about 15 minutes prior to departure, you could easily miss your connection.ĭon't book a late-night flight. But if the first leg of your journey is delayed that hour can turn into 30 minutes. Leave extra time for layovers. You might think an hour is plenty of time to get from one gate to another, especially in the same terminal. But there are some common-sense steps that will give you a better shot at making it to your destination - or at least relaxing at home or in a hotel room, rather than stewing in the airport.ĭownload your airline's mobile app to keep on top of changes to your flight schedule. There isn't much you can do to prevent a delay or cancellation. They can sometimes include long-lived and destructive gusts called derechos that reach speeds of more than 58 mph.Īircraft can fly at lower altitudes to try to avoid storm systems, but that burns more fuel - a dicey proposition given the high cost of jet fuel.Īviation fuel costs have hit record highs. June and July are considered the most active time for severe thunderstorms winds, according to Fox Weather. Extreme weatherĪlready this year, severe thunderstorms have caused multiple issues, and that's aside from hurricane and wildfire season in the US, which only add to delays and cancellations. "The majority of cancellations, and the majority of delays, have nothing to do with air traffic control staffing," Buttigieg told NBC Nightly News on June 28. The industry group Airlines for America says a shortage of air traffic controllers is also hobbling flights, but Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose department oversees the Federal Aviation Administration, told NBC News the bulk of the problem comes from airline downsizing despite a $54 billion government bailout. Southwest Airlines has nixed almost 20,000 summer flights.
"Most airlines are simply not going to be able to realize their capacity plans because there simply aren't enough pilots, at least not for the next five-plus years," United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said during a quarterly earnings call back in April, NBC News reported.ĭelta said it has canceled 100 scheduled daily flights in the US and Latin America between July 1 and Aug. It's particularly acute with pilots because it can take up to five years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to train someone to fly a commercial airplane. It's a remarkable growth period and they're just back-footed." "They did a lot of buyouts during the pandemic. The shortages extend to ground staff, baggage handlers, gate personnel and other workers, FlightAware spokesperson Kathleen Bangs told CNET. Now carriers are clamoring to staff back up, but they're finding it hard to fill positions. Schedules may not get back to normal until after Labor Day, according to CBS News, when demand should settle down and new hires will be trained up and ready to work.Īs a result, from December 2019 to December 2020, the number of airline workers shrunk by at least 114,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Airports themselves are facing a shortage of air traffic controllers. PT, more than 2,000 flights into, out of or within the US were delayed, according to Flight Aware, with an additional 167 outright canceled.īesides the weather, the top culprit is a shortage of workers, most notably pilots.
After June, July is the most active month for damaging thunderstorm winds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.īy Friday at 11 a.m. Severe thunderstorm warnings have been announced for much of the northern and eastern US through Sunday, likely leading to numerous flight delays and cancellations throughout the weekend. While air travel has returned to pre-pandemic levels, carriers haven't been able to keep up with demand. Severe thunderstorm winds and pilot shortages have led to numerous delays and cancellations at airports nationwide.
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