Flight delays were widespread across the U.S., putting travelers’ patience to the test as they tried to get a jump on Memorial Day weekend. Fortunately, the number of canceled flights was relatively low, raising hopes that airlines would be able to handle the expected crowds on Friday.
The Transportation Security Administration predicted that Friday would be the busiest day for air travel over the long holiday weekend, with nearly 3 million people expected to pass through airport checkpoints.
On Thursday, the TSA screened just under 2.9 million people, nearly breaking the record set on the Sunday after Thanksgiving last year by about 11,000.
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AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz stated, “Airports are going to be more packed than we have seen in 20 years.”
Highways are also expected to be congested in the next few days as motorists travel out of town and back home. AAA predicted that this would be the busiest start-of-summer weekend in nearly 20 years, with 43.8 million people expected to travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday — 38 million of them by vehicle.
The start of the summer travel season is coinciding with concerns about the economy and the direction of the country among Americans, as revealed in polls. Nene Efebo expressed the sentiment that “Memorial Day is a holiday weekend. I get to hang out with family and friends, so I’d say that’s priceless, right?” during a two-hour wait for a delayed flight at Denver International Airport.
Some travelers mentioned experiencing sticker shock when booking their trips. Ciarra Marsh chose Philadelphia as a destination because it was cheaper, and Larisa Latimer from New Lenox, Illinois, found airfare to be reasonable but other expenses for a getaway to New Orleans were not.
Kathy Larko of Fort Myers, Florida, utilized frequent-flyer miles and flexible scheduling to pay for her trip to Chicago, making cost-conscious decisions throughout the process.
Over 8,700 flights were delayed on Thursday, with major backups in several cities. The situation improved on Friday with better weather, resulting in fewer than 2,000 delays nationwide by midday on the East Coast.
Anticipating a record number of passengers this summer, U.S. airlines projected that 271 million travelers will fly between June 1 and August 31. This breaks last summer’s record of 255 million passengers.
During the holiday weekend, airport unions used the opportunity to raise their demands. Workers at the Charlotte airport in North Carolina went on strike for better pay and healthcare, causing delays in flights. A planned strike at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York was averted after reaching a settlement with the workers’ union.
Associated Press video journalist Melissa Perez Winder in Chicago and Associated Press radio reporter Shelley Adler in Washington contributed to this report.
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