ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Airlines across the country are seeing record-high check-ins, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
At the same time as check-in rates reach levels as high as Thanksgiving, there have been high levels of cancellations and delays nationally.
“The demand is exceeding the capacity that’s available right now,” Brian Murray, director of travel at AAA, said.
According to Murray, the travel industry is facing a number of challenges across every single airline, including staffing shortages for both pilots and attendants, as well as inclement weather delays.
“Weather can create a lot of infrastructure problems for airlines, unfortunately,” he said. “That causes a ripple effect where an aircraft may be delayed in one city, but if it was scheduled to go across country during the day, it’s not getting there,” he said.
Andy Moore, Director of the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport, says airlines are still catching up from last week’s weather snags.
Last week brought thunderstorms and other weather patterns to many places in the U.S.
“On Thursday we had about 22% of our flights impacted — either delayed or canceled,” Moore said.
At the same time, the demand to get on an airplane is growing.
“Summer vacation is a big travel time, kids are out of school, families look forward to traveling in the summer,” Murray said.
Moore says many just want to get out and travel again, after the worst months of COVID.
“We’re certainly seeing more passengers come through, people are out, want to get out and fly,” Moore said.
Should your flight get canceled, rebooking while airlines are currently inundated can be a challenge.
That’s why you’re going to want to be prepared, and pack your patience:
- Plan to depart a few days before you normally would, to ensure extra time
- Get to the airport early, especially in larger city airports
- Make sure you have the airline’s app on your phone for up-to-date info regarding your flight status
“We’re here to help rebook, but the airline app offers rebooking [too] if there are disruptions along the way,” Murray said.
He was quick to assure that not every weekend is going to be like the past few days. But Murray is anticipating the demand to continue throughout the summer, especially with July 4 coming up.
It’s also important to remember: you’re entitled to a refund if your flight gets canceled.