At airports around the country, passengers are set for a second day of misery.
According to FlightAware, which analyzes flights in real-time, more than 1,300 U.S. flights had been canceled as of Friday at 5 p.m. ET, and over 5,000 more had experienced delays.
As the peak summer vacation season heats up, the headaches follow one of the worst travel days ever. On Thursday, about 1,750 domestic flights were canceled.
The airlines with the highest cancellations nationwide are American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, whose itineraries were cut by 8% and 7%, respectively, on Friday. Flights on their regional affiliates, which fly under the names American Eagle and Delta Connection, are not included in those figures.
“The vast majority of that is weather-related,” said Curtis Blessing, spokesman for American Airlines. He noted that weather in the Miami area was also contributing to delays for the carrier on Friday morning.
About 2,800 flights were canceled by airlines over a five-day period around the Memorial Day holiday weekend, signaling the beginning of what is likely to be a challenging summer for the country’s aviation travelers.
The problems on Thursday and Friday came after airline CEOs and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had a virtual meeting. This shows how worried the Biden administration is about the possibility of congested airports and disgruntled travelers this summer.
“I let them know that this is a moment when we are really counting on them to deliver reliably for the traveling public,” Buttigieg told NBC News.
