MORE than 1,000 flights have been canceled so far on Saturday as travelers descend on airports for the Memorial Day weekend.
The latest cancellations add to an already chaotic weekend at the country’s transit centers as more Americans are reportedly planning to travel over the holiday than they did last year.
As of 12pm EST, there were 1,136 flights canceled as reported by FlightAware.
The website has also reported more than 7,000 flight delays worldwide so far on Saturday.
Spirit Airlines is reporting the most cancellations today with 386 flights. The airline is also seeing the highest percentage of flights cancelled, with 67 percent of its trips scrapped today.
The next highest was Republic Airways, which saw 287 flights axed accounting for 23 percent of the regional airlines total scheduled for the day.
Domestic airports recording the most cancellations throughout the morning were along the East Coast, a Laguardia Airport in New York, Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, and Reagan National in Washington DC.
The weekend was already off to a rocky start, with more than 2,300 flights cancelled throughout the course of the day on Friday.
Additionally, over 14,500 flights were delayed worldwide Friday, according to FlightAware.
Experts say the travel demand has increased significantly since the pandemic abruptly ended the majority of travel in 2020.
More people are expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend than they did in 2021 despite record high gasoline prices, higher hotel rates, and expensive airplane tickets, the Washington Post reported.
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The national cost of gasoline has increased to $4.60, which is 50 cents higher than it was last year. Some states, like California, are paying up to $6 for a gallon of gas.
On average, the cost of midrange hotel rooms is retailing for $230, which is a 42percent increase from last year. The lowest cost of an airplane ticket is $184, which is a 6percent increase from the year prior.
Some travelers have opted to stay closer to home due to rising travel costs but still want to get out of the house to celebrate the “unofficial” start of summer.
“Now that the fear of COVID among travelers has significantly subsided — and despite inflationary pressures — folks are determined to get out there,” Amir Eylon, president of travel and tourism market research consulting firm Longwoods International, told the Washington Post.
AAA predicts that approximately 40million people nationwide will travel this weekend.
One of the reasons more people are expected to travel is reportedly because Covid vaccines are more widely available to the public than they were last year.
“I think this year, especially with vaccines being readily available and many people being vaccinated, many people have a desire to travel,” AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Ragina Ali told the Washington Post.
A survey from AAA found that one in three people said Memorial Day travel will be their first significant summer trip since 2019.
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According to a survey from a Washington Post-Schar School poll, 72percent of Americans plan to take a trip this summer.
In Maryland, officials are advising people to visit their beaches early in the morning or later during the day in an effort to ease travel congestion.
