- Shortages of Pilots and Flight Crew, As Well As Aircraft
- “The 4th of July Is Not Looking Good.”
According to CBS News: “Airlines canceled nearly 1,200 U.S. flights on Sunday and Monday, leaving passengers stranded and luggage piled up at airports across the country. Thousands more trips were scrapped across the globe as the summer travel season kicks off.”
Kit Darby, founder of Kit Darby Aviation Consulting predicts that the worst is yet to come: “Toward the end of the month, and as we transition into the next month, is when it’s the worst. The 4th of July is not looking good.”
The cancellations are likely to continue throughout the summer travel season due to ongoing shortages of pilots and flight crew, as well as aircraf. American Airlines says it has been forced to cut its schedule by nearly 2% because of the pilot shortage, while Southwest Airlines has had to cancel more than 4,000 flights in recent months.
New York Times travel editor Amy Virshup told CBS News: “The biggest issue is they don’t have the capacity. They have not been able to bring back full capacity in terms of pilots, TSA checkpoints, vendors at the airport, baggage handlers, ground staff, or flight attendants.”