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Aircraft can fly at lower altitudes to try to avoid storm systems, but that burns more fuel - a dicey proposition given the high cost of jet fuel. "Most airlines are simply not going to be able to realize their capacity plans because there simply aren't enough pilots, at least not for the next five-plus years," United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a quarterly earnings call back in April, NBC News reported.Įxtreme weather has also added to the problem: Severe thunderstorms have caused multiple delays and flight cancellations, and that's aside from hurricane and wildfire season. It's particularly acute with pilots because it can take up to five years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to train someone to fly a commercial airplane. It's a remarkable growth period and they're just back-footed." "They did a lot of buyouts during the pandemic. The shortages extend to ground staff, baggage handlers, gate personnel and other workers, FlightAware spokesperson Kathleen Bangs told CNET. Now carriers are clamoring to staff back up, but they're finding it hard to fill trained positions. From December 2019 to December 2020, the airline industry workforce shrank by at least 114,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When the pandemic slowed air travel to a trickle, many carriers bought out employees' contracts and encouraged older pilots to take early retirement. The biggest factor has been that airlines are incredibly short-staffed. Southwest Airlines nixed almost 20,000 summer flights. Delta said it canceled 100 scheduled daily flights in the US and Latin America between July 1 and Aug. Since Memorial Day, US-based airlines canceled more than 50,000 flights and delayed over a half-million, according to NPR.

Layoffs and contract buyouts during the pandemic have left many airlines short-staffed, fueling ongoing delays and cancellations. Why have there been so many delays and cancellations? American Airlines alone was hit with 900 delays, or 23% of all scheduled flights.

On Thursday, more than 5,100 flights within, into, or out of the United States were delayed, according to the website FlightAware, and almost 300 were canceled outright. And cancellation rates last month were more than double their pre-pandemic rates, as airlines continue to grapple with staff shortages, picket lines, weather disruptions and other issues.

Many of those passengers will face delays and cancellations: On average, 23% of flights departing from US airports in August were delayed, an increase of nearly 30% compared to 2019. American Airlines alone estimates 2.5 million customers will board 26,400 scheduled flights through Monday. While air travel has returned to pre-pandemic levels, many airlines are still plagued by significant delays and cancellations.ĭespite ongoing flight disruptions and high ticket prices, an estimated 12.6 million Americans will be flying over the three-day Labor Day holiday weekend, according to travel site Hopper. An estimated 12.8 million Americans will fly over Labor Day weekend.