By: Emily Wang

On the 4th of July, thousands of people flocked to the airports, leading to hundred of flights, both international and domestic, to be cancelled or delayed.

On Friday, security screened over 2,490,490 passengers, but according to FlightAware, a website that monitored flights, 464 domestic and international flights were canceled and 6,600 were delayed.

On Saturday, over 3,800 domestic and international flights were delayed and over 2,300 were cancelled.

Then, on Sunday, 930 flights were delayed and another 200 were canceled, according to FlightAware. The John F. Kennedy airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport had the most flights canceled or delayed.

In addition, 53 flights, international and domestic, were already canceled before the 4th of July, according to FlightAware.

Airline executives blame the Federal Aviation Administration for understaffing, which could the reason so many flights were canceled or delayed. The FAA argues that this is not true, and the executives are wrong.

Another reason could be that lots of pilots feel like they are not getting paid enough for their work, hence leaving their position. Therefore, the lack of pilots could have contributed to the understaffing and numerous delayed and canceled flights.

Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, said that all travelers who did not get to board their flight could receive a refund instead of miles or points. He added that his flight was also canceled, and he got a refund of $112.

“Airlines offer miles as compensation for some travel issues, and you can often negotiate on this. That’s between you and the airline,” says Buttigieg. “But you are entitled to cash refunds for canceled flights — that’s a requirement that we will continue to enforce.”

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