For a third day in a row, travelers across the country are facing high numbers of flight delays and cancellations.
As of 10 am ET Saturday morning, more than 1,560 US flights were delayed and over 600 US flights were cancelled, according to FlightAwarewhich tracks flights in real time.
Friday reported a whopping total of more than 8,870 US flight delays and over 1,470 US flight cancellations, according to FlightAware. more than 1,750 U.S. flights were also canceled on Thursday.
The thousands of flight delays and cancellations come as US airlines try to recover from severe storms that barreled through much of the country this week, while also working to accommodate the growing number of travelers on summer vacation.
Friday:Thousands of US flights canceled or delayed Friday after one of worst summer air travel days yet
Nationwide, Delta and American Airlines reported some of the highest numbers of cancellations both Friday and Saturday morning – with their schedules reduced by 6% and 4%, respectively, for Saturday as of 10 am ET.
Those numbers do not include flights on their regional affiliates, which operate as American Eagle and Delta Connection.
“The vast majority of that is weather-related,” Curtis Blessing, spokesman for American Airlines, said on friday.
This week’s numbers aren’t the first time US flights have seen thousands of delays and cancellations this year. Between Friday and Monday on Memorial Day WeekendFlightAware reported nearly 2,800 US flight cancellations and delays for more than 20,000 US flights.
In May:Memorial Day air travelers face thousands of cancellations, delays over holiday weekend
And this weekend’s issues weren’t limited to the US: Flight Aware reported more than 7,730 delays and over 2,060 cancellations around the globe Saturday morning. The site logged more than 21,700 flight delays and almost 3,330 cancellations worldwide on Friday.
What travelers need to know
If your flight is canceled, the US Department of Transportation requires airlines to rebook you on their next available service with space. If that will not work for you, the carrier is required to offer you a refundeven if you bought a nonrefundable ticket.
summer trip:What airlines owe you when flights are canceled, delayed
In the event of a delay, an airline’s responsibility is a little less clear. DOT does require compensation for “significant delays” but has no official definition for what counts as “significant.”
Many airlines updated their policies during the pandemic to give travelers more flexibility in rebooking or altering plans. Delta Air Lines, for example, automatically rebooks passengers whose flights were canceled and sends them their new itineraries via email, text and the Fly Delta App. Customers are free to change their rebooked flight online or via Delta’s digital messaging platform if the new itinerary doesn’t ‘t work.
What’s everyone talking about?:Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
Contributing: The Associated Press
www.usatoday.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism