US flight delays eased after a band of storms triggered thousands of revocations and delays for beleaguered carriers at the start of a long holiday weekend.
US transportation
More than 10,000 flights within or to the US were late or scrubbed Friday, according to the tracking website FlightAware, a day after airline executives met with US transportation officials on how to stem flight disruptions.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said up driving from Washington to New York after his flight was revoked, the Associated Press said.
“That is happening to a lot of people, and that is exactly why we are paying close attention here to what can be done and how to make sure that the airlines are delivering,” Buttigieg told.
Calmer weather on Saturday permitted the system to return closer to normal. Aside from airports in central Florida, the rest of the country was recording below-average delays, according to FlightAware. Saturday begins a three-day US weekend with Monday a public holiday to mark Juneteenth.
Buttigieg held a conference call with airline chiefs on Thursday, reminding them of the need to do all they can to reduce impacts from delays.
Also, read
- United Airlines Delivers Baby Formula at the USA’s Dulles Airport
- SpiceJet flights stopped at Delhi Airport for non-payment to AAI; airline says problem resolved
- SpiceJet Airlines announce warns of the imminent fare hike
The department has authority over consumer protections, such as rules governing refunds for revoked flights. But there is no prohibition for typical delays, most of which are at least partly the result of the weather.
On Friday, a line of storms stretched from Mississippi to Virginia, gumming up flights at large hubs in Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., and New York.
At the same time, airline staffing woes as carriers rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic have made it more difficult to respond to the bad climate, leaving carriers with fewer reserve crews. Passenger totals remain about 12% below 2019, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Thank you
Stay updated with Aviationa2z.com
Join our Telegram group for the latest updates
