The number of passengers transiting an airport does not seem to go down this summer. Lack of enough staff (security, baggage handlers, cabin crew, etc.) plus a number of strikes by employees who are overworked, are some of the factors causing grief to thousands of travelers confronted with delays and cancellations. The situation is being observed in many geographies, but the US has been particularly hit given the number of passengers who decided this summer was the time to travel.
“From an industry perspective in the United States, New York, Newark and Florida really are air traffic control challenges,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told CNN. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently told the US news network that there have been some improvements. He expects, however, that airlines need to do better.
We are counting on airlines to deliver for passengers and to be able to service the tickets that they sell.
Pete Buttigieg, US Transportation Secretary
Data from flight tracking site FlightAware reveals that US airlines have canceled more than 100,000 flights this year, with 30,000 cancellations just since Memorial Day weekend (last weekend in May). The same report shows that New York State had the most cancellations.
About 8% of flights were cancelled in Newark and 7% in Laguardia, New York. JFK International, along with Chicago Midway and Orlando International were the three airports with the highest number of delays.
1. US airports with the most summer cancellations
- Newark Liberty International Airport: 7.9%
- LaGuardia Airport: 7.4%
- Reagan National Airport: 5.4%
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport: 4.3%
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport: 3.7%
- Pittsburgh International Airport: 3.7%
- Philadelphia International Airport: 3.6%
- Boston Logan International Airport: 3.6%
- John F. Kennedy International Airport: 3.5%
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport: 3.4%
The Federal Aviation Administration blames a lack of employees and bad weather since the beginning of the year. The airports in turn blame the government for not having enough air traffic controllers.
2. Top 10 US airports for delays this summer
- Chicago Midway International Airport: 36%
- Orlando International Airport: 33%
- John F. Kennedy International Airport: 31.1%
- Newark Liberty International Airport: 30%
- Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport: 30%
- Miami International Airport: 28.3%
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport: 27.8%
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport: 27.2%
- Denver International Airport: 27.2%
- Harry Reid International Airport: 26.7%
