The 4th of July Weekend Sees Lower Flight Delays and Cancellations

Although multiple airlines across the USA have faced disruptions in their flight schedule, flight delays and cancellations have relatively decreased during the 4th of July weekend.

Based on the flight-tracking website FlightAware.com, on July 2nd, almost 6,000 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were delayed. With that being said, only 654 flights were cancelled. These figures are significantly lower in comparison to the huge number it encountered on the previous day.

On the 2nd of July, among the airlines that were heavily impacted by sustained operational challenges and disruptive weather were JetBlue and Southwest Airlines. JetBlue experienced delays of more than half its scheduled flights, whereas, Southwest Airlines faced nearly one-third of its scheduled flights on Saturday being delayed, amounting to more than 1,000 flights.

Almost 900 (28%) of American Airlines flights were reported to be delayed, 490 (28%) of United Airlines flights were reported to be delayed, and over 530 (28%) of Delta Airlines flights were reported to be delayed, 

On Saturday, 2nd July, 252 flights were delayed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, 248 flights at John F. Kennedy International Airport, 214 flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, 193 flights at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, 192 flights at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and over 150 flights at Boston Logan and Denver International Airport.

FlightAware has reported that over 210 flights within, into or out of the U.S were cancelled and around 940 were delayed by 10 a.m. ET Sunday, 3rd July.

These delays and cancellations were expected due to the continuous battle between the pilots and the airline, coupled with staffing shortages, especially now since the number of travellers has gone back to what it used to be in the pre-pandemic era. For July 1-4, during the 4th of July weekend, Delta issued a systemwide fare difference waiver In anticipation of the hassle during the holiday weekend. Addressing the delays and cancellations as “unacceptable”, CEO Ed Bastian issued an apology via email to the airline’s SkyMiles members.

Passengers are strictly advised to stay updated on their flight status before reaching the airport.