United States: Thousands of flights were delayed and hundreds were canceled across the United States as inclement weather hampered travel on one of the busiest holiday travel weekends of the year. According to Authorities, there have been 6,027 flights into, out of, or within the US that has been delayed, and 171 US planes have been cancelled.
A major storm system has moved from the Mississippi River Valley towards the Northeast, bringing with it a lot of rain and strong winds. Millions of travellers from the Midwest to the Northeast and all the way down to the Southeast were impacted by the heavy rain and strong winds on November 27th.
LaGuardia Airport in New York has asked travellers to reserve parking spots in advance because they were running out. “We can’t stress this enough — plan ahead and arrive early if you’re travelling during the #Thanksgiving holiday travel period,” the Airport tweeted.
The severe weather system is to blame for many of the cancellations and delays that occurred as people attempted to return home following the Thanksgiving holiday. The most affected Airports appear to be in the 3 major cities including New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C.
This year is expected to be the third-busiest Thanksgiving travel season as travel volumes return to pre-pandemic levels. Airlines continue to attribute flight cancellations to a lack of air traffic controllers, particularly in Florida, a popular vacation spot.
The US Transportation Secretary Mr. Pete Buttigieg has disputed such claims that, the vast majority of delays and cancellations are caused by the airlines themselves.
People seem unconcerned by increased petrol and travel costs than last year or the general fear about inflation and the economy as they go behind the wheel or board an aircraft. Predictions of heavy travel over Christmas and New Year’s are already being made as a result of this.