In time for the July 4 holiday, airports in the Northeast are experiencing delays and cancellations, leading to disputes between airlines and regulators as they point fingers at each other for the situation. Here’s what you should be aware of.
The prolonged disruption of flights to and from the Greater New York area is causing concerns regarding the level of preparedness among airlines for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday. This weekend is expected to witness an unprecedented surge in air travelers.
We operate regular taxi cab services between Boston and New York locations. So this is a matter of great concern for us Shuttle service providers in Boston. Boston Airport Shuttle is already experiencing high cancellation rates for New York Bookings. This trend is not limited to New York only and also covers major holiday destinations in the US, Caribbean, and Canada.
According to the AAA, the automobile owners’ group, over four million Americans are anticipated to travel by air during this holiday period, which is approximately 11 percent higher than the previous year and about 6 percent more than the previous record set in 2019. The Federal Aviation Administration has identified Thursday as the busiest day of the period, with a total of 52,564 flights.
However, as travelers geared up for a bustling holiday weekend, airlines attempted to attribute responsibility to the F.A.A., the organization overseeing the nation’s air traffic control system, for at least a portion of the numerous flight cancellations and extensive delays affecting tens of thousands of flights across the country this week.
What’s the situation at airports in the Northeast?
Travel at New York’s airports, particularly Newark, has been disrupted since the weekend, with many travelers reporting long flight delays and difficulty rebooking canceled flights. In some cases, passengers reported sleeping in airports and waiting in lines or on the phone for hours to reach customer service agents.
One of our customers reported a delay of about 10 hours at Buffalo International Airport and another traveler reported on Twitter about a 14-hour delay at Newark Airport.
What airlines are most affected? Who is to blame?
Out of the approximately 4,500 flights canceled across the country on Monday and Tuesday, FlightAware, a flight tracking firm, revealed that over 30 percent were operated by United Airlines. Additional airlines experiencing significant cancellations were JetBlue Airways, Endeavor Air (a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines), and Republic Airways, which operates flights for Delta, United, and American Airlines.
According to FlightAware, United, with a hub at Newark Liberty International Airport, had canceled approximately 15 percent of its scheduled nationwide flights by midafternoon on Wednesday. Endeavor had canceled around 12 percent of its flights, while JetBlue and Republic had canceled approximately 9 percent and 8 percent respectively. While United and JetBlue attributed the issues to both weather conditions and the F.A.A.,
Travelers are therefore requested to plan their holiday destinations accordingly to avoid such hassles. For any other ground transportation issues Boston Airport Shuttle is there to assist you.
