By: Katie Ma

On July 4th weekend, over 6,000 US flights were delayed, and over 150 canceled. Flight cancellations were caused by a rise in an excess of travelers along with a shortage of workers.

According to FlightAware, 29% of Southwest flights were delayed. Delta, American Airlines and United Airlines had 19%, 21%, and 28% flights canceled respectively.

Usually, only 20% of flights are delayed or canceled. On this weekend, however, the statistic jumped to 30%. The amount of travel is returning to pre-pandemic levels, but without the same number of workers. In 2021, it was reported that airports were to lay off over 400,000 workers. On Friday, the Transportation Security Administration screened more passengers than any day in 2022; they screened a whopping 2.49 million people.

The pilot shortage is caused by many factors, including early retirements and an aging workforce. Many were also laid off during the pandemic due to travel shortages. Currently, the number of pilots is about 76% of the pre-pandemic levels.

Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, tweeted that passengers can claim refunds for canceled flights. “But you are entitled to cash refunds for canceled flights — that’s a requirement that we will continue to enforce,” he tweeted.

Luckily, the amount of mass cancellations is expected to stabilize by fall, according to FightAware spokesman Kathleen Bangs– as long as airlines reduce their schedules and hire more workers.