By DAVID KOENIG
Despite rising numbers of coronavirus infections fueled by
the delta variant, the U.S. set another recent high mark for air travel Sunday,
with more than 2.2 million people going through airport checkpoints, according
to the Transportation Security Administration.
That is nearly 11,000 more people screened than July 18, and
the highest number since Feb. 28, 2020, before the U.S. felt the full brunt of
the pandemic. However, air travel was still down 17% Sunday from the same
Sunday in 2019.
The resurgence of leisure travel, coupled with some bad
weather, has led to delays and flight cancellations at airlines struggling to
ramp up after being crushed by the pandemic. Airlines have thousands fewer
workers than they did before the pandemic, and at times they have been caught
short-staffed even though they received $54 billion in taxpayer money to keep
employees on the payroll.
By midafternoon Monday, Spirit Airlines canceled about 290
flights — more than one-third of its schedule — citing weather and “operational
challenges.” That was after canceling one-fifth of its flights Sunday. The
Florida-based discount carrier was “working around the clock to get back on
track,” spokesman Field Sutton said.
The disruptions created long lines at airport ticket
counters in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Some stranded passengers
speculated that the breakdown in service was caused by a strike or work
slowdown. The airline and labor unions said the rumor was false.
American Airlines canceled 500 flights, or 16% of Monday’s
schedule by late afternoon.
With other planes mostly full this summer, airlines are
struggling to rebook passengers on canceled flights.
David Snell, who runs an air-tour business in Dallas, was
stuck in Detroit after American canceled his Monday night flight home and
emailed him a list of available flights — none of which were sooner than
Wednesday. When Snell looked into Tuesday flights, he said, prices started
around $1,200 or 30,000 frequent-flyer points.
“They are absolutely gouging people who are trying to get
home after cancellations,” Snell said. He said he called American three times
and spent four hours on hold before buying a $308 one-way ticket on Southwest.
“Everyone was left to fend for themselves.”
American Airlines spokeswoman Andrea Ahles said a seat
opened up on a flight Tuesday afternoon from Detroit to Dallas via
Philadelphia, and the airline would ask Snell if he would like to take it.
Monday’s cancellations came one day after 7,400 U.S. flights
arrived at least 15 minutes behind schedule on Sunday — the government’s
definition of late — and more than 900 were canceled, according to tracking
service FlightAware. Nearly half of Sunday’s cancellations were at Dallas/Fort
Worth International Airport, American’s largest hub, which was hit with
afternoon and evening thunderstorms.
There have been at least 5,000 delayed flights on most days
since early July, according to FlightAware figures. Southwest, American and
Spirit are among airlines with the biggest problems. For Sunday and Monday
combined, Southwest delayed more than 2,500 flights and American more than
1,600.
A key senator is quizzing several airlines to explain the
high numbers of flight delays and cancellations. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.,
chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, said airlines did a poor job ofmanaging their workforces and might have failed to live up to the purpose of
the taxpayer funding.
The travel recovery faces a renewed public-health threat, as
the number of new cases of COVID-19 continues to rise. The seven-day rolling
average of new U.S. infections is around 80,000 a day, up nearly 150% from two
weeks ago, although the increase in deaths is far smaller.
Airline officials say they haven’t seen bookings suffer because of the delta variant, although some have said it could delay the returnof business travel, which airlines were hoping would gain speed this fall. - AP
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