Air travelers brace for delays over July 4th weekend
EAST BOSTON – Travel this Fourth of July weekend is expected to hit near pre-pandemic highs. But deciding how to get to and from their destinations is forcing many to choose between the lesser of two evils.
For those braving the skies over the holiday weekend, travel experts are warning of a high chance of delays or cancelations.
AAA said Friday would be the busiest day of the holiday weekend to fly. Monday is expected to be the slowest.
"I feel like we just came knowing something will go wrong and as long as we prepare for the worst, we will be fine," said Rebecca Hughes.
Hughes had her hands full as she checked-in for her Thursday flight at Logan International Airport.
The mother of four children, all under the age of nine, said the family was moving west.
"We just started really early today," said Hughes. "I think it's just kind of checking my phone all the time to make sure we don't have to change plans because we have a lot to coordinate."
As of Thursday night, roughly 30 flights had been cancelled, another 200 delayed, from Logan.
The delays were a concern for Adrian Boreland and his family. They were on their way home to Dublin, Ireland.
"I have some health conditions and was worried that maybe our flight might be delayed because we were staying with family," said Boreland. "We just wanted to make sure we get home safe."
Nationwide more than 440 flights were cancelled Thursday and another 3,200 flights were delayed.
It is the result what means airlines are calling weather and staffing shortages that cause a ripple effect of delays and cancelations.
On Thursday, hundreds of off-duty Delta Airline pilots joined the picket line at airports from Atlanta to Seattle. They asked for fair wages and stronger contracts.
Delta has warned customers of the chance for a turbulent summer travel season. The airline canceled more than 100 daily flights for the month of July.
