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Why this summer is already shaping up to be a drag for travelers

As delays and flight cancellations continue, here’s how weather — and even wildfire smoke — is causing logjams and delays.

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Summer travel is back. So back, in fact, that the federal Transportation Security Administration has projected that more folks will board flights this summer than in 2019. Just how many of them will make it to their destinations without hitting delays, canceled flights, and other snags is far less certain.

The busy travel season so far has been continuously disturbed by unpredictable weather and staffing issues. On Sunday alone, as severe thunderstorms rolled through the East , more than 33,000 flights were delayed and nearly 2,700 were canceled, according to Flight Aware, which tracks flight traffic. Delays over the past few days have been particularly bad across the Northeast , but impacted the Southeast, too, as severe thunderstorms struck: This past weekend, that and a shortage of air traffic controllers contributed to significant delays at Orlando International Airport .

That’s a lot of flight disruptions — the culmination of a perfect storm of bad weather, a barrage of travelers unlike any we’ve seen in the past few years, and lingering staffing and scheduling issues in the airline industry. These delays have left thousands of those travelers stranded at airports in recent weeks awaiting flights, or without clarity on whether they’ll get to their destinations at all.

Just before the July 4th holiday weekend, more than 9,000 flights were also delayed or canceled , mostly due to severe storms that threatened the Northeast, followed by another 7,800 flights delayed by storms and tornadoes that ripped through the Southeast and Ohio Valley.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which enforces airline industry regulations and also manages air traffic faces a shortage of critical workers. This summer’s snarled and canceled flights, however, have mostly been the result of the weather. Weather is the cause of about three-quarters of air-traffic delays, and there’s not much airlines can do when a series of thunderstorms gets in the way. Severe weather in one part of the country doesn’t just stay localized, either. Interruptions in major airports have ripple effects everywhere else .

Staffing problems, along with equipment issues , have only made bad weather harder to accommodate. Slightly more than 19 percent of flights were delayed last year, in contrast to 2018, when about 17 percent of flights were delayed, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics . Almost 4 percent of flights were canceled in 2022. In 2023 so far, delays have affected about 22 percent of flights.

Widespread flight delays that have impeded airports and left vacationers stranded have been making news since late last year, and combined with busier airports and the potential for more severe weather to come, this summer could continue to be particularly bumpy for air travel.

“Anything well into the thousands is definitely newsworthy,” says Katy Nastro, a travel expert at the flight deals site Going.com (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights).

“Everybody just assumes that the winter is the time period where you’re going to encounter tons of delays and cancellations,” Nastro adds. Weather-related delays are actually more common in the summer. Not only do rain and thunderstorms impact flights, but heat waves can also render airport tarmacs unsafe for workers, while high temperatures change the density of the air and affect whether a plane can take off. Hot weather can even lead to passengers getting booted off flights to adjust for changing weight limits.

Smoke and ash from wildfires will throw a wrench in flying, too. Smoke is more disruptive than fog or rain, the FAA’s Kevin Morris explained in a recent tweet, because flight navigation systems are designed to work well even against water droplets, but fare less well with solid particles such as those in smoke. In early June, the FAA briefly grounded flights at New York’s LaGuardia airport when smoke from a Canadian wildfire turned the city’s air quality into the worst in the world. Later in the month, smoke from the ongoing wildfires heavily impacted Chicago, whose O’Hare airport faced higher disruptions.

Planes can operate during extreme weather, and aircraft can safely fly above thunderstorms. Delays happen because airports and airlines have to be more careful during takeoff and landing, which means they move more slowly. That might mean they increase the space between planes or increase the time between one plane landing and another one taking off. Wind can postpone a plane flying or landing, too. With everything operating at a slower pace, the delays start to pile up and can even lead to cancellations.

There’s one other factor at play as we head into summer travel season: Climate scientists have long been telling us that extreme weather is more likely to occur, and likely to be more intense, due to the climate crisis . While the West Coast is no stranger to life disruptions due to wildfire smoke, there are signs that smoky skies could soon become a common feature of life in the Northeast, too. Experts predict, too, that summer 2023 will be particularly hot , and that’s all but guaranteed to affect travel.

Beyond weather and our increasingly dire climate, persistent issues with old technology and labor shortages have made air travel less reliable over the past year. Frustrations came to a head last December when Southwest Airlines canceled almost 3,000 flights during the peak holiday travel week. Inefficient scheduling, miscommunication, and staffing shortages all contributed to the mass cancellations. “During the pandemic, a lot of airlines gave buyouts to some of these older pilots,” explains Nastro, reducing their labor costs, but creating a dearth of experienced staffers just as travel ramped back up.

Travel disruptions aren’t solely the fault of foul weather or the airlines — the FAA shortage is also very real — but the federal government is trying to hold the industry more accountable. The Department of Transportation plans on proposing a new rule requiring airlines to compensate passengers for excessive delays and cancellations. In response to the mishaps and mayhem of 2022, airlines and the government have also been trying to gird themselves for this summer and the unprecedented demand for air travel. That has meant hiring more pilots and air traffic controllers, and reducing the total number of flights while increasing the capacity of aircraft.

Still, these problems don’t go away overnight. “Pilots take time to train,” Nastro says.

Early this month, United Airlines’ flights had the most disruptions. In an internal memo, United CEO Scott Kirby blamed the FAA , writing that it had “failed us this weekend” and pointing to its lack of experienced staff at the administration. The FAA told Vox in an emailed statement that it would “always collaborate with anyone seriously willing to join us to solve a problem.” It also said that it is taking steps to keep air travel “safe and smooth” this summer, including by encouraging airlines to fly fewer but bigger planes, which helps reduce traffic while still being able to deliver the same number of passengers to their destinations.

For passengers, there’s no hard and fast rule to avoid interruptions to planned air travel. Weather patterns can shift quickly and unexpectedly. “Try to take a morning flight, or try to take a nonstop flight,” Nastro advises. Early morning flights rank 25 percentage points higher on their on-time arrival rate than afternoon or evening flights. Delays and cancellations often occur due to snowballing effects of slowdowns, getting worse as the day drags on.

Nastro argues that it’s not all that helpful to look at which airports or airlines have the worst track records of delays and cancellations in a given period. That’s not an indication that bad weather won’t hit a usually on-time airport next. “It changes year to year. It can change month to month,” she says.

She also advises fliers to avoid assuming the worst will happen. Strict regulations around commercial air travel are the reason why it’s one of the safest modes of travel — far more than private flight or driving, and definitely more than private submersible excursions .

Update, July 10, 3:10 pm ET: This story was originally published on June 29 and has been updated to reflect additional flight disruptions in July.

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What's causing the over 30,000 summer flight cancellations and delays?

Well over 30,000 flights in the U.S. have been delayed or canceled this week already, with some of the busiest travel days for the Fourth of July holiday still to come.

United Airlines has been among the hardest hit among the mainline airlines, with 12.6% of its flights canceled between Saturday and Monday, according to archived FlightAware data — 1,019 flights — and an even worse situation as the week has gone on. Tuesday saw 785 canceled flights (26%), while by 5:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, United had cut 508 flights, or 18% of its schedule.

While JetBlue has struggled as well, with significant delays and 174 canceled flights Tuesday (16%) and 92 flights canceled (9%) at publication time Wednesday.

Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG's free biweekly Aviation newsletter .

American and Delta have fared better in recent days, with cancellations in the 1-5% range in recent days, although Delta canceled 465 mainline flights between Sunday and Monday, a total of 6.9%.

Why is this happening?

That's the question on the minds of many of the hundreds of thousands of travelers who have experienced disruptions since Saturday.

Just when it seemed that the disruptions would start to subside, on Wednesday, cancellations and delays began to inch up again. As of Wednesday evening, the U.S. had close to 7,800 delays and over 2,200 cancellations, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware .

Despite how it might feel to passengers stuck on the ground trying to rebook after multiple cancellations, this time, it isn't a systemic meltdown at any one carrier.

Instead, it's the culmination of several things: staffing issues, congested airspace and regular pop-up summer thunderstorms that have conspired to knock flights off schedule across the eastern U.S. Mix in full flights, and the airlines have few backup options to offer affected passengers.

Problems started Saturday with storms

These flight disruption problems began Saturday when storms fired up throughout the Midwest and along the U.S. East Coast.

Storms are commonplace in the summer, but they're often harder to predict than the snowstorms that can snarl operations in the winter. Plus, when storms fire up in long lines, they can stretch for hundreds of miles — blocking flight paths and reducing takeoff and landing rates at multiple busy airports at one time.

And that's what happened during the weekend and leading into this week. Tuesday was especially bad, with long lines of storms across the east creating a "gridlock" of sorts at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) as flight paths to the west and south were largely blocked.

Coupled with ongoing shortages of air traffic controllers, the situation hit critical mass.

FAA shortages (and an outage) then made things worse

The Federal Aviation Administration had already warned about possible flight disruptions in the congested New York City airspace this summer as flight schedules have surged closer to pre-pandemic levels.

Then, on Monday, United CEO Scott Kirby blasted the FAA for not being ready for regular summer thunderstorms that snarled flights at United's hub at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and elsewhere across the Northeast.

In a memo obtained by TPG, Kirby said, "the weather we saw in EWR is something that the FAA has historically been able to manage without a severe impact on our operations and customers."

Kirby said that the FAA reduced flight arrival rates at Newark by 40% and departures by 75% — a reduction in capacity there that threw the airport's operation into chaos that's been further exacerbated by the ongoing stormy weather.

Staffing shortages and renewed conversations on the FAA's aging technology came to the forefront this year after the agency issued a rare nationwide ground stop in January because of a computer outage. Before January, the last time the FAA issued a nationwide ground stop was during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

During this past week of disruptions, an overheated cable at an FAA facility in Virginia further delayed flights out of the Washington, D.C., area Sunday, making matters worse.

Travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said the agency has struggled to market careers in air traffic control to younger generations, presenting a major thorn to the airline industry, which has been facing pressure to recover swiftly in time for summer travel.

"Becoming an air traffic controller is just not a career that enough young people think about as an option as they start to consider professions," he said.

Another issue facing the FAA has been its funding. Many in the airline industry have repeatedly voiced concerns about the FAA's funding, with some saying that airlines cannot be expected to operate at 2019 levels if the FAA doesn't update its infrastructure.

"The appropriations that are granted are rarely what the agency asks for," Harteveldt said. "In addition to paying the salaries of its air traffic controllers, the FAA has to continue investing in the so-called Nextgen, or the next-generation air traffic control system, back-end systems and more."

Beyond the FAA, staffing issues within airlines also presented problems.

Airline crew schedules are stretched at United

Multiple outlets reported that at United Airlines — the carrier that's been the most affected by the disruptions due to its big hub at Newark — flight crew scheduling took over three hours, leaving many crew members waiting for assignments. United is now offering triple pay to flight attendants who work more flights through July 6, according to CNBC .

United's chapter of Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the union that brought attention to this issue, pointed to two public memos issued to its members offering flight attendants advice on managing their schedules and reminding them of the airline's incentives for voluntarily picking up extra trips.

The union cited "the unacceptability of the current state of the airline" in the memos, using typically advocatory language," but it nevertheless noted that the series of events leading to the cancellations were, in effect, a perfect storm.

"While we continue to press management to do all possible in accommodating Flight Attendants' return to base, we also recognize that the weather events preventing the challenges are, in some cases, unexpected and beyond the company's control," the AFA wrote.

Two United insiders who spoke with TPG on the condition of being kept anonymous described the airline's struggles as being like "death by 1,000 cuts." Normally minor or common operational issues at several hubs — but primarily Newark — aligned to make the airline's recovery from the storms and the air traffic control shortages even more difficult, they said.

Despite the ongoing problems on Wednesday, United said things were starting to turn around and expects to make a full recovery before the July 4 weekend.

"It's all-hands-on-deck as our pilots get aircraft moving, contact center teams work overtime to take care of our customers, and our airport customer service staff works tirelessly to deliver bags and board flights," the Chicago-based carrier said in a statement. The airline did not immediately address questions asked by TPG regarding the outsized impact on its operations compared to other carriers in the New York area.

United added that it was able to cancel fewer seats on Wednesday compared to previous days and reduced its baggage backlog at Newark by 30%.

When will airlines catch up?

The good news is that travelers in the New York City area may soon receive a break from the travel chaos as Thursday and Friday are expected to have clearer weather. However, with Thursday and Friday forecast to be some of the busiest days to fly this summer, there aren't a ton of available seats on flights for those who are still dealing with disruptions from the last few days.

On top of that, rain is expected to wash over the New York City area this weekend, and it's unclear if that will present problems for the July 4 travel period.

In short, while the hope is that most flights will happen as planned Thursday and Friday, it may take a little longer than that for everyone to get where they want to be.

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Additional reporting by Ben Mutzabaugh, David Slotnick and Zach Griff

Summer Air Travel Is a Mess. This Is Why, and Here's What You Can Do About It

Delays and cancellations are out of control

If you've been to an airport at all this summer, you're probably well aware that air travel is something of a nightmare right now. Crowds fill security queues, departure boards are filled with cancellations, and frustrated passengers are just about everywhere. Suppose you make it to your final destination with nothing but a slight delay. In that case, you're probably one of the lucky ones—hundreds, if not thousands of travelers across North America and Europe are getting stranded daily. So what in the world is going on? Here's everything you need to know about the state of air travel this summer and how you can go about making the smoothest travel experience for yourself.

Why are so many flights getting delayed or canceled this summer?

It's a perfect storm of events that starts with, well, storms. Thunderstorms are a common reason flights are delayed during the spring and summer—and that's true every year, not just in 2022. But the more significant issue is that the post-pandemic demand for travel is soaring far higher and far faster than most airlines anticipated, and the airlines aren't prepared to handle the large crowds.

According to a Deloitte survey, six in 10 Americans plan to travel this summer, and more than half of Americans feel safe flying. As such, demand for air travel has quickly reached and, in some cases, surpassed pre-pandemic levels. But the air travel industry wasn't prepared for such a rapid rebound, and airlines that had reduced their staff during the pandemic are now understaffed.

"Airlines were facing an approaching pilot shortage pre-pandemic. And in 2020, thousands of pilots took early retirement as the airlines faced an unprecedented dive in demand," said Anthony Jackson, a Deloitte risk and financial advisory principal. "And it's not just pilots. Airlines need to staff up across service roles from baggage handlers to maintenance workers to gate agents."

Now back to the issues of those summer storms. Flight crews are subject to strict timing requirements—their shifts can't exceed a certain number of hours for safety reasons, so if a flight is delayed for weather reasons, the crew could "time out." Typically, there's a short delay as a replacement crew is brought in. But there aren't enough replacement crews out there, resulting in flights being canceled altogether.

Those delays and cancellations don't only affect one flight—they also affect subsequent flights on the same aircraft. Say a plane was scheduled to fly from New York to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Los Angeles. If that first flight is delayed long enough or canceled outright, the second flight may also be delayed or canceled.

Again, in regular times, airlines often had extra crew and planes on hand to fill any gaps caused by delays and cancellations. But they simply don't anymore. "Airlines' agility in responding to disruption is driven in large part by its workforce, so these staffing challenges end up affecting the experience of flying," said Jackson.

Are airlines at fault for the delays and cancellations?

In the big picture, yes, given their understaffing. (Though exceptions are certainly out of the airlines' control, such as plain-old weather delays.) But it's not a malicious situation. 

"It's easy to say airlines should have planned for this, but it's maybe not that simple. Consider the environment at the height of COVID-19 downturn: the industry had never faced anything like this and was desperate to stay alive," said pilot and air travel expert Patrick Smith of AskThePilot.com . "There was no way of predicting when, or to what extent, flyers would return."

Smith said that, in general, airlines anticipated a more gradual return to air travel. "When it came to aligning their fleets and staffing, they did what they calculated was the smartest thing to do. Some guessed better than others, and that's what it was to a big degree—guesswork. As flyers have returned en masse, the industry is scrambling to catch up," he said.

Air travel logistics are complicated to begin with, requiring managing many moving parts. So it comes as little surprise that everything has gone awry due to the unexpected circumstances confronting the travel industry these days.

What can the airlines do to fix the problem?

Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes here. "Further investment in automation should be able to support areas like check-in and aircraft maintenance over time," said Jackson. "Some roles absolutely need to be refilled, and there is a lot of talk within travel about how companies can do a better job of helping their people build careers, and how they can communicate the opportunities that exist beyond the entry-level."

What airlines can—and very much are doing—is preemptively canceling flights to relieve the bottlenecks. That isn't great for the unlucky passengers booked on those flights, but it should help stabilize the schedule somewhat.

How can you make your air travel experience better right now? 

Book directly with the airline..

Avoid booking flights via third-party sites, even if the price is lower. The airlines might not help you if your flights are delayed or canceled—you'll likely be redirected back to your third-party company to solve your travel woes.

Choose the earliest flight of the day.

Delays and cancellations snowball throughout the day, so your best bet is to get on the first flight in the morning.

Give yourself extra time.

If you're traveling for an important event, give yourself a day or two buffer so that if your flights are delayed or canceled, you have time to figure out an alternative way to get to your event. On the same note, given all the delays, make sure you budget extra time for layovers—don't plan on any short 30-minute connections if you can avoid them.

Travel with a carry-on only.

Checked bags spell problems these days. If you check a bag, there's a decent chance it won't make it to your final destination at the same time you do, whether it's because delays caused your bag to miss a tight connection or because you've been rebooked onto different flights. And if you decide to cancel your flight and drive to your final destination instead (as some passengers have done), the airline likely won't be able to take the bag off the aircraft for you.

Book flexible fares.

"Travelers also should pay attention to what they purchase—airlines offer fares with differing levels of flexibility, and each ticket has rules for what a traveler is entitled to in the event of a cancellation or delay," said Jackson. "This is probably one of the reasons our survey indicates a large number of travelers are purchasing some kind of upgraded tickets—more than half of travelers who had their flights booked already told us they had purchased some kind of upgraded ticket versus the cheapest available fare."

Buy travel insurance.

Because airlines might not necessarily be required to reimburse you for expenses related to a delay or cancellation, it's a solid idea to purchase standalone travel insurance. Or, at the very least, make sure your travel is booked with a credit card with good travel insurance. That way, you can recoup many of your travel expenses if you're delayed or can't make it to your final destination. That often includes missed nights at hotels and pre-booked tours.

What are your rights if your flight gets delayed or canceled?

"With this being an almost universal experience for all travelers, whether domestic or international, it is important for passengers to know their rights and the laws they are protected under," said Rosa Garcia, a legal tactician at air passenger rights company AirHelp .

Garcia advises always to find out the reason for the delay or cancellation—that can affect what refunds, compensation, or reimbursement you might be able to receive from the airlines. Airlines set the rules for compensation in the United States, and many only consider compensation if the delay is their fault (e.g., a mechanical failure) and not if it's out of their hands (e.g., weather). Unfortunately, there is no federal standard for most instances of compensation eligibility, which means an airline might not compensate you at all.

Airlines are, however, required to offer a refund for flights delayed more than two hours if the passenger wants to cancel their ticket. They're also required to refund you for canceled flights. Another area for federally mandated compensation is in the case of involuntary denied boarding , otherwise known as involuntary bumping. If you're a ticketed passenger on an oversold flight and involuntarily rebooked on another flight, the airline owes you compensation. The amount varies on many factors, but it goes up to four times the value of the ticket.

Another exception is if you're flying to or from Europe—the European Union has legislation called EU261 regulating compensation for flight delays and cancellations. You do not need to be a citizen of the European Union to qualify for that compensation.

And finally, airlines are on the hook for delayed baggage. "If the airline loses your luggage in the U.S., travelers can claim up to $3,800 in compensation . It's crucial to hold onto your boarding pass and luggage receipt in case of any issues because this will come in handy if it's lost," said Garcia. "Let the airline know as soon as possible, fill out a Property Irregularity Report, request a bag fee rebate, and if you must replace any necessary items, file a claim with the airline so you can get reimbursed."

Compensation for delayed flights is a complicated topic, so it's a good idea to educate yourself about it long before your flight takes off. Start by reading the U.S. Department of Transportation's consumer guide to air travel , which covers the basics of passengers' rights, and read the fine print from your airline, too—that's where the specifics come into play.

Executive Flyer. "Do Flights Get Canceled Due to Thunderstorms?" February 7, 2022.

Deloitte Insights. "Getting Back to Getaways: 2022 Deloitte Summer Travel Survey." May 24, 2022.

U.S. Department of Transportation. "Flight Delays & Cancellations." Accessed June 27, 2022.

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Summer air travel could be expensive and chaotic. Here's how to avoid trouble

David Schaper

Travelers queue up as they move through the north security checkpoint in the main terminal of Denver International Airport, Thursday, May 26, 2022. David Zalubowski/AP hide caption

Travelers queue up as they move through the north security checkpoint in the main terminal of Denver International Airport, Thursday, May 26, 2022.

CHICAGO — At airports this summer, it may almost appear as if the pandemic never happened. The long security lines, the crowded gates, the jam-packed planes; they're all back. And so too are soaring prices and extra fees. "Air fare is incredibly high for domestic travel this summer," says Hayley Berg, lead economist at the travel search and data app Hopper. "We're seeing this week air fares averaging about $394 round-trip for domestic flight per ticket." Berg says that's about 50% more than last summer and nearly 25% higher than air fares during the pre-pandemic summer of 2019. A new report out today from Adobe Analytics finds that prices for domestic airline flights have risen 47% since January. The company measures online domestic air travel bookings at six of the 10 largest U.S. airlines and 150 billion visits to travel web sites, finding that consumers spent $8.3 billion on air travel in May, up 6.2% from April. Adobe's data show that air fares for flights booked in May were 30% higher than in May 2019, the year many in the industry use for a pre-pandemic benchmark comparison. "That's really been striking to see, especially because of where we were with air travel earlier in the pandemic and through much of the past two years," says Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights. "Now we're seeing heavy demand coupled with high prices," which are not yet cooling red-hot demand for air travel. "These higher air fares are not deterring travelers and that's (for travel) both domestically and abroad," Hopper's Hayley Berg says. "Consumers are willing to pay the higher air fares to get away this summer." One of the largest factors driving up air fares is the skyrocketing price of jet fuel. Berg says the rising cost of crude oil has pushed jet fuel prices up more than double since 2019. Another factor is "a huge surge in demand for travel after two years of very, very depressed travel," says Berg, at a time when there when "there's less capacity out there than there was in 2019." "Look, there are a lot of people who have not been able to travel where they want, as they want, for two years," says travel analyst Henry Harteveldt of Atmosphere Research Group, who notes that airline bookings are back to pre-pandemic levels, but "we are still more than 10% below the number of flights that we had before COVID." "And that means less choice, and less choice means fewer seats," Harteveldt adds. "In addition, some airlines aren't operating as many wide body jets ... so that also means fewer seats." He and others say travelers who have not booked their summer trip yet might be better off delaying their vacation until fall, when air fares will likely come down and there may be more flights to choose from. "It's going to be a 'Hunger Games' like battle to get the fares you want, the flights you want" this summer, Harteveldt says. "And the concern I have is that there's absolutely no wiggle room, no flex room, in the industry if and when something goes wrong." And Harteveldt points out that in summer time, something like bad weather and airline staffing shortages can combine to create air travel chaos, with widespread flight delays and cancellations. That's what happened over the busy Memorial Day weekend, when airlines cancelled thousands of flights, and thousands more were delayed. So airlines are trying to be proactive and are cutting flights from their summer schedules to try to minimize delays and cancellations. "Because of the staffing shortage that exists, especially with pilots, airlines have scaled back the number of flights they're going to operate this summer in order to have a buffer of extra pilots, extra flight attendants, and extra airplanes, ready, in case you get a bad storm or something else that disrupts their operation," Harteveldt says. Delta Air Lines, which had an especially high number of cancellations in recent weeks, has now trimmed more than 100 flights a day from it's schedule for the rest of the summer. American, United, Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska, and other airlines have reduced their summer flight schedules, too. Almost all of them have had their own operational meltdowns periodically over the last year, says Kathleen Bangs of the flight tracking firm FlightAware, whose data show that through May the seven largest U.S. airlines had cancelled 3% of all their flights this year. "Anything over about 1% before COVID we thought was a pretty high number," Bangs says. "So this has been high this year and it is a good thing the airlines have scaled back some because there's such a surge in demand." What do the experts recommend to help you avoid being stranded by flight delays and cancellations? Bangs says she advises people to get a good weather app and look at forecasts ahead of time for the days you're scheduled to travel. "They have predictions 14 days out, (and) you can get a fairly good idea certainly 7 days out, of what the weather is going to be," Bangs says.

She adds that it's important to look at forecasts not just for the places you're flying from and to, but all around the country because storms in one place can have a ripple effect, causing delays and cancellations through an airline's entire network. Bangs says airlines may allow travelers to change their flight to a day or two before or after the days storms are forecast. "There's a good chance if you contact the airline because of these events, they will accommodate that (flight change) and they will put that (information) on their websites," Bangs says. She also recommends booking flights through the airline directly so you'll have a better chance of resolving a problem if one arises. "I feel bad for these Internet search companies that sell tickets, but you really want to buy your ticket directly from the airlines because if there's an issue it's so much easier to get the airlines to work with you," Bangs says. "But if you buy that through a third party it's very difficult to make those changes," to your flight, she adds.

To find lower fares, experts recommend being flexible in your travel plans.

"If you fly later in August, you can save about $100 per ticket off of peak prices," says Hopper's Hayley Berg. "If you can fly middle of the week, say a Tuesday or Wednesday, you can save about $35 or more on a domestic flight. So flexibility is really the key to finding great deals if you haven't booked your summer vacation yet." In addition, many travel experts advise planning ahead as if something will go wrong, as summer air travel chaos is almost inevitable. "Any of us who are planning to travel this summer need to go in with the assumption that something will go wrong and be thrilled when it doesn't," Harteveldt says.

Delta CEO predicts 'record' summer travel season as FAA warns of another spike in delays

After a summer airline travel season filled with delays and disruptions last year, air travelers should prepare for what could be more of the same this summer, officials say.

In an interview with CNBC , Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said customers are more interested than ever in getting out of town this summer.

Air travel “is something the consumer’s prioritizing,” Bastian said. “They may be pulling back in other areas ... but I don’t see it in our credit card data, I don’t see it in our bookings.”

As it reported quarterly earnings Thursday, Delta said it was projecting “record advance bookings for the summer.”

It's a statement supported by JPMorgan Chase industry analyst Jamie Baker, who said in a recent note to clients that he could not see “definitive evidence of cooling travel demand.” Booked revenue for the second quarter of 2023, he said, is “meaningfully ahead of last year.”

Data from the mobile travel booking site Hopper also shows demand for the summer travel season will be "strong," especially for international trips, where prices are up 34% from last year and up 32% from 2019.

And the latest figures from the Transportation Security Administration show daily passenger screening levels well ahead of where they were last year , with numerous days in 2023 having already surpassed their 2019, pre-pandemic equivalents.

Yet, Bastian of Delta Air Lines also said his company plans to nix a previously planned effort to get passenger capacity back to 2019 levels.

“We’re intentionally pulling back some of the capacity,” Bastian told CNBC. “We want to make sure we don’t outrun our capabilities.”

Airlines and the wider air travel industry have struggled to replenish staffing ranks as the pandemic has waned.

Most recently, the Federal Aviation Administration announced it was asking airlines to cut back service in the New York area because it is facing a severe shortfall of qualified air traffic controllers.

In a March memo , the agency said the region's controller capacity was at just 54% of its target. Given current planned operations, the FAA said, it anticipates a 45% spike in delays for this summer.

The FAA said it is giving airlines “the ability to reduce operations during the peak summer travel period, which are likely to be exacerbated by the effects of Air Traffic Controller (ATC) staffing shortfalls.”

Airlines have already begun to respond. JetBlue was the first to announce it would be cutting flights for the area, and last week United and American airlines said they would do the same.

Airlines have already cut about 10% of scheduled flights this spring to address performance issues, the aviation trade group Airlines for America said.

Rob Wile is a breaking business news reporter for NBC News Digital.

Why summer travel is a nightmare — and is only going to get worse

It's a terrible time to fly right now. In the past few years air travel changed for the worse — and this year has been particularly bad. Amid record levels of flight cancellations and understaffed airports struggling with mountains of lost luggage, passengers are already sharing their nightmare travel stories . On June 27, close to 860 flights into, out of, or within the US were canceled , and the previous weekend, US airlines canceled or delayed tens of thousands of flights. On June 16 the average delay time soared past one hour. Of the past seven years, 2022 has had the highest percentage of delayed flights (19%) and the highest percentage of canceled flights (4%) — excluding 2020. Dozens of factors are adding up to a hectic summer for travel. If you're flying, get ready for a travel nightmare.

Delays upon delays

Recent flight disruptions have been mainly caused by staff shortages, specifically a pilot shortage .  Numerous airlines have had to cancel flights because of the lack of pilots, and the problem isn't going away soon. Experts predict that by next year airlines will be short 12,000 pilots . The pilots who remain on the job are also worn out. Southwest Airlines has experienced a 300% increase in the number of pilots reporting fatigue — when that happens, they are automatically removed from the flight, often resulting in delays and cancellations. 

It's not just the workers on the planes. Airlines are also struggling to hire enough maintenance workers , which could cause further delays for routine aircraft maintenance. Airports are dealing with staffing shortages too. London's Gatwick Airport announced in mid-June that it would cut hundreds of flights during the peak summer travel season because of staffing shortages. And London's Heathrow airport  announced in July that they were asking airlines to stop selling tickets until September. Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is also limiting its passenger capacity.

Airlines have tried several things to mitigate the pilot shortage. For example, Delta ended its requirement that pilot candidates have a four-year college degree. Republic Airways asked the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to hire pilots when they reach 750 flight hours, instead of the required 1,500 hours, shortening their training period. Unfortunately, these solutions won't solve the problem in time to reduce summer travel headaches. 

Exacerbating the labor problem is airlines' pandemic-era decision to cut the number of routes they flew. The average number of daily flights is still below what it was in 2019 , meaning there are fewer options for travelers — even as travel demand returns to prepandemic levels . Smaller cities have been affected disproportionately by both the route cuts and the pilot shortage. Given the staffing needs, pilots have more discretion in deciding which routes they fly, and as one pilot told me recently, they hate "puddle jumpers" — flights between smaller airports — meaning these flights are more likely to get canceled.    

Tackling these staffing problems and adding back routes that were cut will take time — leaving many summer travelers in a tough spot.

Summer woes

In general, summer is the worst time to travel. The reason is obvious: Everyone else is traveling too. But more importantly, the load factor peaks during the summer, meaning the percentage of seats sold on each plane increases. As planes are fuller, a delay or cancellation of a single flight affects all other flights, since there is less slack capacity in the system to absorb the disruption. For instance, say that in the spring an airline sells about 85% of its seats on every flight. If a flight on a 100-person plane is canceled, 85 people would need to be sprinkled across six other flights to absorb the canceled passengers. But in the summer, when the number of seats sold rises to, say, 95%, a canceled flight on a 100-person plane would need 19 similarly filled flights to absorb those customers.

The trouble doesn't just come once people are on the plane. In the summer, security lines are longer, so more people will arrive late to their departure gate. Knowing that other flights are full, the airlines are more likely to wait for these passengers — not waiting would require airlines to unload their checked luggage, which takes an equally long time. More passengers also means longer boarding times and more carry-on luggage that needs to be gate-checked, causing even more delays. The capacity of most airports is fixed, so as more flights are added, the utilization of gates and runways increases. Sometimes shorter delays can be made up in the air, but when all flights are connected through an intricate network of hubs and spokes, too many delays can become a domino effect.

Experts are expecting continued shortages of airport employees this summer and more strikes by employees who are tired of long hours, low wages, and angry, sometimes unruly passengers. At the end of May, the Dutch airline KLM stopped selling tickets for four days following chaos at its hub at Schiphol Airport, where employees had gone on strike to protest low wages; it was not a pretty picture for travelers using the airport.

In addition to staffing shortages, the climate crisis has caused an increased likelihood of extreme weather events, making flight disruptions this summer even more likely. 

A guessing game

When Delta announced in May that it would cut about 100 flights a day between July 1 and August 7, the airline said in an email to employees that these preemptive cancellations would be used to "build additional resilience in our system and improve operational reliability for our customers and employees" and "relieve pressure by proactively thinning the schedule." But at this point, planning for summer disruptions isn't enough, and Delta is likely making itself even more prone to massive disruption. 

It's easy to see why Delta and other airlines like JetBlue are moving forward with preemptive cancellations. There's a lot of guesswork in air travel; it's hard to make decisions in May about what to do in July. Airlines don't know what the weather will be like, or whether the strikes in Amsterdam will have turned into a wave. But canceling flights in advance means the airlines are expecting disruption, and it gives passengers the chance to rebook and hopefully avoid last-minute chaos. 

If the weather is indeed bad this summer, Delta is ahead of other airlines. Last-minute cancellations are the worst when the system is near capacity because finding a seat for stranded passengers is a nearly impossible task — especially when hundreds of flights are affected all at once. Many customers say the worst part of travel chaos is the long wait time to speak with a customer-service representative; as with pilots, airlines have reported having trouble staffing these roles. During the Christmas holiday, Southwest Airlines asked its corporate employees to work at airports to ease these needs. 

But if the weather is not bad, if airport strikes are less common, and if the number of employees calling out is back to prepandemic levels, then the airlines that canceled flights in advance will lose customers to competing airlines or their flights will have a much higher load factor, meaning there is less wiggle room for disruption and more potential for delays. Thus, by canceling flights now, Delta may actually be creating less resilience, not more.

Airlines win and lose customers during times of crisis. In that sense, Delta may be hinting that it thinks it's better to have customers be frustrated with United and American Airlines and come back to Delta. But given that the air-travel system is at capacity, there is very little airlines can do in the short term to prevent travel nightmares. The only lever airlines can pull beyond canceling flights is being more transparent with passengers. Let customers know about delays before they leave for the airport. Let them know about the reason for the delay and the options they have. Allowing customers to make better decisions would gain airlines some goodwill — and alleviate the pain for customers who can't afford to change their plans. 

As a high load factor becomes higher, we should expect an explosive summer with flights packed with more angry customers and longer delays at airports. If you're planning to travel this summer, I suggest you choose direct flights, arrive early at the airport, fly with only carry-on luggage, and pack lots of patience and reading material. 

Gad Allon is the faculty director of the Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Are Your Flights Going to Take Off on Time This Summer?

A record number of travelers will head for the skies this summer, while airlines face boeing aircraft delays and lingering pandemic problems. experts predict what this will mean for your summer travel plans..

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As travelers head out for their summer getaways, they should have backup plans in place for if and when flights go awry.

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A record 4.7 billion people are expected to travel by air this summer and several factors may converge to create chaos at the country’s airports. A recent report from global travel technology company Amadeus found that “flight disruption remains above historical norms,” and the situation isn’t going to get better any time soon. According to the report, the global airline industry is still struggling with the rapid increase in demand for air travel.

“High summer 2024 travel demand , airlines over-scheduling, and staffing shortages at airports and airlines and the TSA,” can all add up to flight delays, says Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp , an organization that helps passengers claim compensation for delayed and canceled flights. However, several other factors at play could make the situation even worse. Christina Tunnah, general manager for the Americas at travel insurance provider World Nomads , explains that on top of the other challenges, flight delays and cancellations are increasing because “climate change has resulted in the rise in extreme weather” (which can create a cascade of flight disruptions) and “strikes in some of Europe’s most popular destinations have been a more frequent occurrence.”

Travelers need to be prepared for ‘major travel meltdowns.’

Additionally, “aircraft shortages caused by production issues at Boeing are expected to increase the risk of delays and cancellations as well,” says Daniel Durazo, director of communications at Allianz Partners USA , which sells travel protection.

Travelers are noticing the pinch even before the busy summer travel season begins. According to Jen Moyse, vice president of product at TripIt , a recent survey conducted in March by the travel organization app showed that 48 percent of the 1,800 U.S.-based respondents experienced some sort of flight disruption, such as “having their flight delayed or canceled” in the past six months. This is an 8 percent increase over a similar survey TripIt conducted in 2023, she said.

Airlines and airports are working to minimize disruptions. However, “as the travel industry is still rebounding from the pandemic and now dealing with another major setback due to aircraft being grounded for safety,” travelers need to be prepared for “major travel meltdowns,” Pawliszyn says. After a panel blew off a Boeing 737-9 Max Alaska Airlines plane midflight, safety concerns about Boeing aircraft grounded dozens of planes. As a result of ongoing safety issues, production of some Boeing planes is being delayed. Thus, some airlines have had to scale back the number of flights they can offer this summer and beyond.

Industry experts shared their advice about how travelers can prepare for what could be significant flight disruptions this summer—and how to protect your travel plans when they do.

Get travel insurance

Travel insurance won’t be able to get you to your destination on time, but it can help defray the costs of unexpected delays. If your flight is grounded, extra nights in a hotel, lost deposits on tours, and additional meals can add up quickly. Travel insurance can help, but coverage varies widely between providers and plans. “Some travel insurance policies will cover airline strikes, but won’t cover airline staffing issues,” says World Nomads’ Tunnah. The amount covered varies widely, too. For example, some World Nomads plans will cover up to $2,500 in losses while others cover up to $10,000 in losses.

When it comes to travel insurance, “one size does not fit all,” Moyes of TripIt notes. She recommends choosing a plan carefully to ensure it meets your needs.

Despite the variations, “most travel insurance plans offer protection against flight cancellations, travel delays, and delayed or lost luggage,” Tunnah says. However, if your flight is delayed or canceled, coverage may not kick in automatically. “In all circumstances, the travel insurance provider will require you to seek compensation or a ‘make right’ from the airline first,” she says. That means if an airline offers to cover a hotel room for the night and you turn it down, your insurance plan probably won’t cover the cost of the nicer hotel you prefer.

To get the most out of your travel insurance, document why your flight was canceled or delayed, any compensation the airline offered, and keep your receipts.

How to stay ahead of flight disruptions

The more notice you have about a flight disruption, the more time you will have to adjust your plans. So, you’ll want to stay ahead of the curve and find out about flight disruptions as soon as they are announced. One way to find out about potential delays or cancellations quickly is to download your airline’s app. “We encourage all passengers to download their carrier’s app as soon as they purchase a ticket. U.S. airlines have made significant investments in their mobile apps so they can relay any flight updates such as boarding times, gate numbers, and any other important announcements,” Airlines for America , an organization that represents all of the major U.S. carriers, tells Afar.

You should also download the flight tracking app FlightAware , which can tip travelers off to upcoming changes even before the airline does. For instance, if you see that your flight keeps getting bumped back, you can check FlightAware to find out where your plane actually is. If it seems to be stuck at the previous departure airport, you may want to start looking into alternative flight options as a backup.

How to plan for the unexpected

Given the high potential for flight disruptions this summer, it’s important to be flexible. “Build extra time into your plans to account for potential disruptions if you need to make an event like a wedding or cruise departure” by planning on arriving a day or two early, advises Moyse. She also recommends packing an extra set of clothes, essential items, medications, device batteries and chargers, and additional snacks in your carry-on bags in case you experience delays.

Book strategically

There isn’t a magic formula to ensure your flight won’t be disrupted, but you can plan strategically to increase your chances of getting to your destination on time.

“It’s a great idea to book the first flight of the day, or at least in the morning. This way if your flight is delayed or canceled, you are more likely to be able to rebook the same day. Also, delays are less likely to domino in the morning,” Tunnah says.

Another great way to stack the odds in your favor is to fly nonstop. That way, you only need to worry about one flight being delayed rather than two or more. Getting a nonstop flight “may mean that you have to drive a little further to get to a large airport to avoid a layover” says Tunnah, adding that it could, however, save you time and money in the end.

Although the past does not always predict the future, “you can do a little research on your flight. Go to FlightAware and see how often your particular flight is delayed or canceled,” Tunnah recommends. If your flight has a poor track record of arriving on time, you may want to consider another option.

Know your rights

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently issued new regulations requiring airlines to automatically refund passengers when flights are significantly delayed or canceled. However, because airlines have six months to begin implementing these rules, most passengers won’t be able to get relief under the new rules this summer. (They are slated to go into effect in October 2024, unless the airlines appeal the decision.)

Until airlines are required to implement the new regulations, passengers traveling within the United States have very few concrete rights when it comes to flight disruptions.

“For domestic flights in the U.S., there aren’t any federal requirements so it’s up to the airline as to whether they want to compensate you for a delayed flight,” says Michael Soud , a lawyer specialized in corporate law and cross-border transactions and cofounder of travel blog Travel Insighter . He explained that it’s standard practice for many airlines to rebook passengers or provide hotel rooms and meal vouchers when flights are delayed for several hours or canceled. Some airlines may also give delayed passengers vouchers or miles to use toward future flights.

In fact, the DOT has created an airline customer service dashboard , where you can see what kind of compensation each airline has committed to.

But even though some airlines are willing to provide a lot of support when domestic flights are delayed or canceled, they aren’t legally required to do anything for stranded passengers, Soud says. “The only time the law requires compensation for domestic trips is when you are involuntarily bumped from a flight because an airline has oversold seats,” he says. Which means that the resulting compensation is extremely variable, at least for now.

When it comes to international flights, passengers have more rights, but they may be hard to enforce. Soud notes that the Montreal Convention states that international air travelers have the right to file a claim for reimbursement for a delayed or canceled flight with the airline. However, this isn’t always successful. “If the airline denies your claim, you’ll need to sue them in court to claim reimbursement,” which isn’t worth the hassle for many passengers, he says.

Passengers flying to, from, and within European Union (EU) countries are better protected . “If you’re flying from an EU airport to the U.S. or arriving at an EU airport from the U.S. with an EU-based carrier, you can claim compensation as a U.S. traveler,” Soud explains. Under EC 261/2004 “airlines must compensate you for delays, cancellations, and denied boarding,” he says. The type of compensation depends on how long you are delayed, but Soud notes that fliers’ rights in the EU typically kick in once flights are delayed for two hours or more.

Other countries have also passed laws that grant passengers rights when their flights are disrupted. For example, passengers flying to and from the United Kingdom have rights that are almost identical to those in the EU, according to Soud. If an international flight is delayed or canceled, it’s worth checking the laws of the countries you are flying in and out of to see if you are entitled to compensation—these rules typically govern foreign carriers flying within the governing body’s airspace as well.

Pack your patience

While flight disruptions are at the very least frustrating and at the worst can be costly, stressful, and even somewhat traumatic depending on where you are trying to get to and why, Moyse reminds travelers to “keep in mind the travel industry is still experiencing labor shortages and flight crews, hotel staff, travel agents, and other service workers are doing the best they can” and want to help. “Practicing patience and civility can help you, and fellow travelers, make the most of your trip, even if you do encounter disruptions,” she says, adding, “In the end, don’t let disruptions ruin your trip.”

clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

Air travel demand may fuel another record summer. Here’s what will be different.

Airlines are putting measures in place to avoid the disruptions that marred previous pandemic-era summers

American consumers may be pulling back in some ways — buying fewer clothes, holding on to their cars longer and waiting to upgrade cellphones — but they continue to spend on travel, willing to pay fees for early boarding, premium seating and lounge access at rates that far exceed pre-pandemic times.

This appetite for travel has been good for the industry’s balance sheets. Domestic air carriers recorded $1.6 billion in net profit last year, up from a loss of $2.8 billion in 2021, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. But that demand also has highlighted the fragility of a system struggling to fill key jobs as it grapples with aging technology.

How the airline industry went from life support to record earnings in two years

Ahead of the 2023 summer travel season, airlines and the agencies that oversee them are putting measures in place to avoid widespread disruptions that have marred previous pandemic-era summers and fueled a record number of consumer complaints. Weather remains the wild card, but industry officials hope the early preparation will pay off this summer.

Here are seven ways summer air travel is likely to be different this year.

Pack patience (and a spare outfit). It will be busy.

Most carriers are adding flights and operating larger aircraft to handle the number of passengers expected to fly. U.S. airlines plan to operate more than 2 million flights between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day, an increase of about 86,000 over last year, according to data provided by airline data company Cirium.

Airlines have been on a hiring spree since travel demand began to surge in 2021 and most are fully staffed, coming after tens of thousands of workers left voluntarily in the early months of the pandemic. Executives note those recent recruits now have more experience, which could help operations run more smoothly.

Leaving for spring break? Travelers have plenty of company this year.

Still, all is not well. Labor groups representing flight attendants and pilots at several major carriers, including American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, have yet to settle new contracts after years of negotiations, leaving employees frustrated. Pilots at American were the most recent to authorize a strike, a gesture that is largely symbolic because federal law bars airline unions from striking without approval from the National Mediation Board.

“It’s going to be a turbulent summer,” said aviation analyst Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group . “While airlines have done a very good job of hiring new employees for the demand they’re going to see this summer, they may not have hired all they need.”

Travelers also will likely pay more to fly this summer amid rises in airlines’ two biggest costs: labor and fuel. An analysis by Bob Harrell of Harrell Associates found the average leisure fare was 65 percent higher in March 2023 than in the same month of 2019.

On a positive note, the FAA has reported a significant decline in reports of unruly passengers in recent months — numbers that began to fall when the mask mandate was lifted in April 2022. In fiscal year 2022, 27 people were charged in connection with incidents aboard airplanes compared to 21 during the previous fiscal year, according to Justice Department statistics. So far this year, nine people have been charged.

Staffing shortages mean fewer New York flights

In March, the Federal Aviation Administration was unusually candid about staffing shortages at a key air traffic control facility in New York. The New York Terminal Radar Approach Control, which is based on Long Island and coordinates flights in and out of John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia and Newark’s Liberty International, has 54 percent of the staffing it needs to manage traffic in the nation’s busiest air corridor. With air traffic expected to increase 7 percent this summer in the New York region, the agency estimated a 45 percent increase in delays. In response, the agency urged airlines to reduce operations from New York-area airports.

FAA warns of staff shortages in trying to head off summer delays

United, American, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways are among carriers that have agreed to cut flights. United said it will reduce flights from Newark and LaGuardia, cutting frequencies rather than routes — while using larger aircraft to accommodate more passengers. For example, the carrier will operate 10 daily flights between Newark and Reagan National airports, eight fewer than previously planned. It also will reduce flights between Newark and Dulles International to six daily instead of nine. American also will reduce frequencies and flights from Newark and LaGuardia.

“Hopefully it means that the remaining flights are more likely to operate on time,” Harteveldt said. “If there’s bad weather, hopefully the disruption will not be as bad and the recovery will be faster.”

International destinations will be big

As Southwest Airlines chief executive Bob Jordan said on a recent earnings call, demand for international travel is “smoking hot.”

While domestic leisure travel fueled much of the industry’s recovery in 2021 and 2022, demand for international travel could be the story this summer. Delta chief executive Ed Bastian said last month that international flights already were 75 percent booked.

Data compiled by the Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC), which analyzes travel agency ticket sales, indicates purchases for the top 10 European summer travel destinations are up significantly — a trend it attributes to the end of U.S. travel restrictions. ARC found that ticket purchases for Amsterdam were up 130 percent compared to last year. Ticket purchases were up 66 percent for Paris and 70 percent for Madrid, the data showed.

Expensive flights are here to stay, but there’s good news

The international shift will pose new challenges for the air system. Trouble spots emerged during spring break, with growing numbers of travelers complaining of long wait times as U.S. Customs and Border Protection grapples with a shortage of officers. At Dulles, officials say wait times for passengers entering or returning to the United States have risen sharply, with some waiting more than two hours. CBP officials said in a statement that officers “will work to process travelers as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

The agency said that CBP officers processed nearly 96 million travelers arriving at U.S. airports last summer, an increase of more than 116 percent from the previous summer. In another sign of how demand is straining the system, wait times for U.S. passport applications are 10 to 13 weeks, up from a range of six to nine weeks at the beginning of the year.

FAA adds East Coast routes, airlines add tools

Even as airlines reduce New York flights, the FAA announced in recent days it has added 169 routes along the East Coast. The routes will offer airlines faster, more direct paths to destinations and are designed to ease congestion during the busy summer season. It’s a shift FAA officials said will save 6,000 minutes of travel time and reduce the number of miles flown by about 40,000 annually. The agency said the new routes will give air traffic controllers more options for getting flights to their destinations, including when weather might pose challenges. The new routes are unlikely to increase the number of scheduled flights, since airlines set schedules month in advance.

“American has long been a proponent of unlocking additional high-altitude routes along the East Coast and we are optimistic they will have significant benefits for our customers and team members,” American Airlines chief operating officer David Seymour said of the new routes.

After two summers plagued by delays and cancellations, airlines say they have learned their lessons and are focusing on matching service levels with staffing. “Reliability” is a word that has come up frequently among airline executives.

At American, new tools will enable the carrier to better anticipate when weather or other issues could disrupt operations, then begin rebooking customers and rerouting crews. Southwest’s December meltdown highlighted several gaps in its operations, which the carrier has moved to address in recent months. In one sign the airline might be making progress, a recent firewall outage forced Southwest to delay more than 2,100 flights, more than half its daily schedule. By the following day, operations were back to normal.

Despite the focus on ensuring a smooth summer season, Geoff Freeman, chief executive of the U.S. Travel Association, said the industry and Congress must focus on making investments to ensure the nation’s air system can accommodate growth.

“This summer’s travel demand will be as strong as we’ve seen since before the pandemic and potentially the strongest ever,” Freeman said. “If we don’t get cranking on changes now, these problems will continue into 2024 and beyond.”

A watchful eye from Congress and regulators

Lawmakers and federal regulators will be closely watching how the summer unfolds. Additional consumer protections — in the event of significant delays, lost luggage and reimbursements for out-of-pocket expenses — are at the top of the agenda as Congress works to craft a bill to fund the FAA.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been criticized by some for not doing more to hold airlines accountable after two years of travel disruptions. At the same time, the Transportation Department has rolled out several new tools to help consumers better understand what they are entitled to when flights are delayed or canceled.

After a rough summer, fall could bring calmer skies

The department’s Airline Consumer Dashboard explains carriers’ policies on common questions travelers might have when experiencing problems. DOT also launched a dashboard on airline policies for family seating.

Airlines are encouraging customers to take advantage of apps and online tools when they run into flight difficulties, even as some carriers have increased call center staffing. As part of its December meltdown post-mortem, Southwest added phone lines to help customers and its own employees reach a representative for help.

Consumers can file a complaint with their airline or the Transportation Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection .

Boeing delays in delivering new aircraft

Supply chain issues have hampered Boeing’s ability to meet deadlines for delivering aircraft, which has forced some carriers to adjust future schedules. Last month, the aerospace giant announced a new issue that affects certain 737 Max aircraft. While the issue, which involves two fittings that join the aft fuselage to the vertical tail, does not present an immediate safety concern, it could delay those deliveries.

In a recent earnings call, American Airlines executives said any time there is a delay in aircraft deliveries, it can affect a carrier and its customers. Still, any delays are expected to be minimal.

Southwest said it does not expect the changes to Boeing’s delivery schedule to affect summer operations, but the delays will be felt during the second half of 2023, the carrier said.

Competing interest for Florida airspace

As the number of commercial flights and space launches rise in Florida, the FAA is encouraging commercial space companies to schedule launches during nighttime hours and to avoid holiday periods.

Florida airspace has been a challenge for the FAA in recent years, with a dramatic increase in commercial space traffic adding to a large volume of commercial and military air traffic. In 2022, for example, the FAA managed a record 92 space missions, up 33 percent over the previous year.

Airlines last year complained that staffing shortages at the FAA’s Jacksonville air traffic control center were leading to flight delays under “blue sky conditions,” which triggered two days of meetings. FAA officials say staffing levels have since improved, which should mitigate those concerns this summer.

• Air travel demand may fuel another record summer. Here’s what will be different. May 5, 2023 Air travel demand may fuel another record summer. Here’s what will be different. May 5, 2023
• Biden proposes airlines cover passenger expenses for canceled flights May 8, 2023 Biden proposes airlines cover passenger expenses for canceled flights May 8, 2023
• As Southwest, FAA probes begin, fallout could shape flying for years February 9, 2023 As Southwest, FAA probes begin, fallout could shape flying for years February 9, 2023

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USDOT Alerts Passengers That Starting Today, Southwest Airlines Must Provide Compensation for Delays and Cancellations Within Their Control

DOT’s historic enforcement action against Southwest earlier this year requires the airline to provide $75 transferrable vouchers to passengers affected by delays and cancellations within the airline’s control that cause passengers to reach their destination three or more hours after their scheduled arrival time  

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is reminding passengers that starting today, Southwest Airlines must compensate them with a transferrable voucher worth at least $75 for any controllable cancellation or delay that causes passengers to reach their destination three or more hours after their scheduled arrival time. Southwest is required to provide this compensation as part of DOT’s recent historic enforcement action holding the airline accountable for its 2022 holiday meltdown that stranded millions of passengers across the country.

“After the 2022 holiday meltdown, our department held Southwest Airlines accountable—and now the airline is required to compensate passengers for lengthy delays and cancellations that they cause,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg . “We're pleased to bring these benefits to passengers, and further show the flying public that the Biden-Harris Administration has their back.”

When Compensation is Required Southwest is required to provide compensation if:

• A flight was cancelled or delayed within seven days of the scheduled departure date; 
• Passengers arrived at their destination three or more hours later than planned; and
• The delay or cancellation was caused by something that Southwest could control, such as a maintenance or staffing issue.

Passengers will not be eligible for compensation if the cause of the disruption was not within the airline’s control, such as bad weather.

How to Request Compensation

• Per the agreement with DOT, Southwest has created an easy-to-find online form (southwest.com/delayform) for passengers to request compensation. 
• Passengers must submit requests within one year from the date of the delayed/cancelled flight. 
• If passengers enter erroneous information on the form, they will get an error message, and a chance to edit and re-submit the required information 
• Southwest will respond to the customer via email within 30 days of receiving a voucher request form and if the consumer is eligible, Southwest will follow-up with a voucher for that consumer.  
• The vouchers will be transferrable and will be valid for at least one year after the date of issuance. 

DOT will be closely monitoring Southwest’s compensation program to ensure that passengers get the relief they are owed. The airline must submit an annual report to DOT every May for the next three years detailing the voucher expenditures.

In 2022, under Secretary Buttigieg’s guidance, DOT created an Airline Customer Service Dashboard known as FlightRights.gov to help airline passengers understand what they are entitled to receive when a delay or cancellation was within the airlines’ control and create  standards that the Department can enforce. DOT has updated the Airline Cancellation and Delay dashboard to reflect Southwest’s mandated compensation program.

Find more information on DOT’s $140 million enforcement action against Southwest Airlines for the 2022 holiday meltdown here .

DOT’s Historic Record of Consumer Protection Under the Biden-Harris Administration

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, DOT has advanced the largest expansion of airline passenger rights, issued the biggest fines against airlines for failing consumers, and returned more money to passengers in refunds and reimbursements than ever before in the Department’s history.

• Just last week, DOT announced two final rules that require airlines to provide automatic cash refunds to passengers when owed and protect consumers from costly surprise airline fees . These rules will significantly expand consumer protections in air travel, provide passengers an easier pathway to refunds when owed, and save consumers over half a billion dollars every year in hidden and surprise junk fees.
• As mentioned above, DOT launched the flightrights.gov dashboard, and now all 10 major U.S. airlines guarantee free rebooking and meals, and nine guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue causes a significant delay or cancellation. These are new commitments the airlines added to their customer service plans that DOT can legally ensure they adhere to and are displayed on flightrights.gov.
• Since President Biden took office, DOT has helped return more than $3 billion in refunds and reimbursements owed to airline passengers – including over $600 million to passengers affected by the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown in 2022.
• DOT has issued over $164 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations. Between 1996 and 2020, DOT collectively issued less than $71 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations.
• DOT recently launched a new partnership with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general to fast-track the review of consumer complaints, hold airlines accountable, and protect the rights of the traveling public.
• In 2023, the flight cancellation rate in the U.S. was a record low at under 1.2% — the lowest rate of flight cancellations in over 10 years despite a record amount of air travel.
• DOT is undertaking its first ever industry-wide review of airline privacy practices and its first review of airline loyalty programs

In addition to finalizing the rules to require automatic refunds and protect consumers from surprise fees, DOT is also pursuing rulemakings that would: 

• Propose to ban family seating junk fees and guarantee that parents can sit with their children for no extra charge when they fly. Before President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines last year, no airline committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating. Now, four airlines guarantee fee-free family seating, as the Department is working on its family seating junk fee ban proposal.
• Propose to make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory so that travelers are taken care of when airlines cause flight delays or cancellations. 
• Expand the rights for passengers who use wheelchairs and ensure that they can travel safely and with dignity. The comment period on this proposed rule closes on May 13, 2024.

Consumers may file an airline complaint with the Department here . 

Watch CBS News

Will a pilot strike disrupt your summer travel plans? Here's what to know.

By Khristopher J. Brooks

Updated on: May 11, 2023 / 4:21 PM EDT / MoneyWatch

Contract negotiations are keeping thousands of commercial pilots grounded at a time when the nation will soon be entering the busy summer travel season. 

American Airlines pilots voted to authorize a strike  earlier this month. Southwest Airlines pilots made the same move on Thursday. 

"The lack of leadership and the unwillingness to address the failures of our organization have led us to this point," Casey Murray, the president of Southwest's union, said in a statement . "Our pilots are tired of apologizing to our passengers on behalf of a company that refuses to place its priorities on its internal and external customers."

Here's what to know about the potential labor actions and how it could impact passengers' summer travel plans. 

Why are pilots threatening to strike?

The two main reasons are pilots' demands for higher pay and better schedules. 

American Airlines executives are under pressure to match or beat the pay terms Delta Air Lines gave its pilots earlier this year — a 34% raise over a four-year contract. AA has offered a four-year deal that includes a 21% pay bump in the first year. Including higher profit-sharing and 401(k) retirement contributions, by the end of the contract, pilots who fly narrower planes would earn $475,000 a year, while senior pilots flying wide-body planes would make $590,000 a year, 

American Airlines' pilots union said it is also seeking scheduling changes it says would improve efficiency and prevent the kind of widespread delays and cancellations seen last summer.

Would a strike impact passengers' summer travel plans?

It all depends on how quickly airlines and pilots can agree to a new contract. In statements this week, officials from American said they're confident they can reach an agreement with their unions quickly.

"We understand that a strike-authorization vote is one of the important ways pilots express their desire to get a deal done, and we respect the message of voting results," American Airlines spokeswoman Sarah Jantz said Monday.

Adam Carlisle, vice president for labor relations at Southwest, said  in a statement that the strike won't hurt the airline's "ability to take care of our customers." 

"Our negotiations continue, with talks resuming this week, and we'll keep working with the assistance of the National Mediation Board to reach an agreement that rewards our pilots and places them competitively in the industry," he said.

But failing to reach agreements soon could leave passengers frustrated in the coming months, said Ed Sicher, president of the pilots' union at American.

"The summer travel season is almost here, and we're all wondering whether this will be another summer of uncertainty for American Airlines," Sicher said in a statement this week. 

What's happening in the meantime?

American Airlines pilots have organized a series of demonstrations at airports, including in Boston, Dallas, Miami and New York, hoping to put further pressure on management. Both sides will continue negotiating for now. If talks sour and pilots decide to strike, they'll first need approval from a U.S. mediation board. 

Airlines have expressed confidence they can resolve their differences with pilots. 

"We remain confident that an agreement for our pilots is within reach and can be finalized quickly," American Airlines said in a statement Monday. "The finish line is in sight." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. He previously worked as a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald, Newsday and the Florida Times-Union. His reporting primarily focuses on the U.S. housing market, the business of sports and bankruptcy.

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Automatic Refunds and No More Hidden Fees: D.O.T. Sets New Rules for Airlines

The Transportation Department issued new requirements on refunds when flights are canceled or delayed and on revealing “junk” fees before booking. Here’s what passengers can expect.

By Christine Chung

The Transportation Department on Wednesday announced new rules taking aim at two of the most difficult and annoying issues in air travel: obtaining refunds and encountering surprise fees late in the booking process.

“Passengers deserve to know upfront what costs they are facing and should get their money back when an airline owes them — without having to ask,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement, adding that the changes would not only save passengers “time and money,” but also prevent headaches.

The department’s new rules, Mr. Buttigieg said, will hold airlines to clear and consistent standards when they cancel, delay or substantially change flights, and require automatic refunds to be issued within weeks. They will also require them to reveal all fees before a ticket is purchased.

Airlines for America , a trade group representing the country’s largest air carriers, said in a statement that its airlines “abide by and frequently exceed” D.O.T. consumer protection regulations.

Passenger advocates welcomed the new steps.

Tomasz Pawliszyn, the chief executive of AirHelp, a Berlin-based company that assists passengers with airline claims, called it a “massive step forward and huge improvement in consumer rights and protection” that brings the United States closer to global standards in passenger rights.

Here’s what we know about the D.O.T.’s new rules, which will begin to go into effect in October.

There’s now one definition for a “significant” delay.

Until now, airlines have been allowed to set their own definition for a “significant” delay and compensation has varied by carrier . Now, according to the D.O.T., there will be one standard: when departure or arrival is delayed by three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international flights.

Passengers will get prompt refunds for cancellations or significant changes for flights and delayed bags, for any reason.

When things go wrong, getting compensation from an airline has often required establishing a cumbersome paper trail or spending untold hours on the phone. Under the new rules, refunds will be automatic, without passengers having to request them. Refunds will be made in full, excepting the value of any transportation already used. Airlines and ticket agents must provide refunds in the original form of payment, whether by cash, credit card or airline miles. Refunds are due within seven days for credit card purchases and within 20 days for other payments.

Passengers with other flight disruptions, such as being downgraded to a lower service class, are also entitled to refunds.

The list of significant changes for which passengers can get their money back also includes: departure or arrival from an airport different from the one booked; connections at different airports or flights on planes that are less accessible to a person with a disability; an increase in the number of scheduled connections. Also, passengers who pay for services like Wi-Fi or seat selection that are then unavailable will be refunded any fees.

Airlines must give travel vouchers or credits to ticketed passengers unable to fly because of government restrictions or a doctor’s orders.

The vouchers or credits will be transferable and can be used for at least five years after the date they were issued.

Fees for checked baggage and modifying a reservation must be disclosed upfront.

Airlines and ticket agents are now required to display any extra fees for things like checking bags or seat selection clearly and individually before a ticket purchase. They will also need to outline the airline’s policies on baggage, cancellations and changing flights before a customer purchases a ticket.

The rules, which apply to all flights on domestic airlines and flights to and from the United States operated by foreign airlines, have varying start dates.

For example, automatic refunds must be instituted by the airlines within six months. But carriers have a year before they’re required to issue travel vouchers and credits for passengers advised by a medical professional not to fly.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Christine Chung is a Times reporter covering airlines and consumer travel. More about Christine Chung

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

Southwest Airlines quietly rolls out a new compensation program for flight delays

Southwest Airlines said it launched a compensation program for  flight delays as part of a $140 million U.S. Department of Transportation settlement over the carrier's meltdown in December 2022 during a busy holiday travel period.

Southwest agreed in December 2023 to provide $90 million in travel vouchers of $75 or more over three years to passengers delayed at least three hours getting to their final destinations because of an airline-caused issue or cancellation and to start the program by April 30.

The airline said Monday it had quietly launched the program on April 16 and has already heard from a few thousand customers seeking vouchers.

The airline agreed to the compensation program after the holiday meltdown that resulted in 16,900 flight cancellations and stranded 2 million passengers. The settlement included a $35 million cash fine.

Will Southwest start assigning seats? CEO says the airline is weighing changes

A massive winter storm in December 2022 and subsequent chaos prompted travel horror stories such as people missing funerals or long-awaited holiday gatherings, passengers with canceled flights forced to make cross-country drives of 17 or more hours and some cancer patients being unable to get treatment.

The delay compensation program is part of the Biden administration's aggressive efforts to get tough on airlines as it aims to require new passenger compensation. Vouchers will be awarded "upon request," Southwest said.

Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in December that, given its operational performance, the $30 million in vouchers annually was "the right number" to commit to.

Asked if Southwest would end the program after three years, Jordan said consumer programs "rarely change or go away."

Rival U.S. airlines have not put in place similar programs and do not yet face a mandate to do so.

Enough with airline hidden fees: DOT rules take aim at 'corporate rip-offs'

President Joe Biden said last May that the DOT would propose new rules requiring airlines to compensate passengers with cash for significant controllable flight delays or cancellations by the end of the year. The DOT has not issued its proposal, and Congress has declined to mandate compensation for delays in a pending aviation reform bill.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said last week Southwest under the delay compensation requirement will "really lead the market and it will be very interesting to see how other airlines respond – not as punishment but by way of competition."

The DOT in 2022 asked carriers if they would pay at least $100  for delays of at least three hours  caused by airlines and none agreed.

Most carriers – including Southwest – voluntarily committed in August 2022 to provide hotels, meals and ground transportation for airline-caused delays or cancellations but resisted providing cash compensation as is required in the European Union .

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Airlines will now be required to give automatic cash refunds for canceled and delayed flights

FILE - Passenger drop off their baggage at United Airlines in C Terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Houston. The Biden administration issued final rules Wednesday, April 24, 2024, to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

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The Biden administration issued final rules Wednesday to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation.

The Transportation Department said airlines will be required to provide automatic cash refunds within a few days for canceled flights and “significant” delays.

Under current regulations, airlines decide how long a delay must last before triggering refunds. The administration is removing that wiggle room by defining a significant delay as lasting at least three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international ones.

Airlines still will be allowed to offer another flight or a travel credit instead, but consumers can reject the offer.

The rule will also apply to refunds of checked-bag fees if the bag isn’t delivered within 12 hours for domestic flights or 15 to 30 hours for international flights. And it will apply to fees for things such as seat selection or an internet connection if the airline fails to provide the service.

Complaints about refunds skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, as airlines canceled flights and, even when they didn’t, many people didn’t feel safe sharing a plane cabin with other passengers.

Airlines for America, a trade group for large U.S. carriers, noted that refund complaints to the Transportation Department have fallen sharply since mid-2020. A spokesperson for the group said airlines “offer a range of options — including fully refundable fares — to increase accessibility to air travel and to help customers make ticket selections that best fit their needs.”

The group said the 11 largest U.S. airlines issued $43 billion in customer refunds from 2020 through 2023.

The Transportation Department issued a separate rule requiring airlines and ticket agents to disclose upfront what they charge for checked and carry-on bags and canceling or changing a reservation. On airline websites, the fees must be shown the first time customers see a price and schedule.

The rule will also oblige airlines to tell passengers they have a guaranteed seat they are not required to pay extra for, although it does not bar airlines from charging people to choose specific seats. Many airlines now charge extra for certain spots, including exit-row seats and those near the front of the cabin.

The agency said the rule will save consumers more than $500 million a year.

Airlines for America said its members “offer transparency and vast choice to consumers” from their first search.

The new rules will take effect over the next two years. They are part of a broad administration attack on what President Joe Biden calls “junk fees.” Last week, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that his department will let state officials in 15 states help enforce federal airline consumer protection laws .

Airlines will now be required to give automatic refunds for canceled and delayed flights

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The Biden administration issued final rules last week to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things such as delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation.

The Transportation Department said airlines will be required to provide automatic cash refunds within a few days for canceled flights and “significant” delays.

Under current regulations, airlines decide how long a delay must last before triggering refunds. The administration is removing that wiggle room by defining a significant delay as lasting at least three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international ones.

Airlines still will be allowed to offer another flight or a travel credit instead, but consumers can reject the offer.

The rule will also apply to refunds of checked-bag fees if the bag isn’t delivered within 12 hours for domestic flights or 15 to 30 hours for international flights. And it will apply to fees for things such as seat selection or an internet connection if the airline fails to provide the service.

Complaints about refunds skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, as airlines canceled flights and, even when they didn’t, many people didn’t feel safe sharing a plane cabin with other passengers.

Airlines for America, a trade group for large U.S. carriers, noted that refund complaints to the Transportation Department have fallen sharply since mid-2020. A spokesperson for the group said airlines “offer a range of options — including fully refundable fares — to increase accessibility to air travel and to help customers make ticket selections that best fit their needs.”

The group said the 11 largest U.S. airlines issued $43 billion in customer refunds from 2020 through 2023.

The Transportation Department issued a separate rule requiring airlines and ticket agents to disclose up front what they charge for checked and carry-on bags and canceling or changing a reservation. On airline websites, the fees must be shown the first time customers see a price and schedule.

The rule will also oblige airlines to tell passengers they have a guaranteed seat they are not required to pay extra for, although it does not bar airlines from charging people to choose specific seats. Many airlines now charge extra for certain spots, including exit-row seats and those near the front of the cabin.

The agency said the rule will save consumers more than $500 million a year.

Airlines for America said its members “offer transparency and vast choice to consumers” from their first search.

The new rules will take effect over the next two years. They are part of a broad administration attack on what President Biden calls “junk fees.” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced this month that his department will let state officials in 15 states help enforce federal airline consumer protection laws .

Koenig writes for the Associated Press.

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