Thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed on Friday during the Juneteenth and Father’s Day holiday weekend, the busiest air travel day of the year, according to the TSA.
The agency reported that more than 2.4 million people traveled through its checkpoints on Friday and airlines cancelled more than 1,100 flights by early afternoon, following more than 1,700 cancellations on Thursday.
More than 6,300 flights were delayed among domestic flights and flights leaving the U.S. on Saturday, and 859 flights were cancelled.
According to the portal FlightAware, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport had the most delays and cancellations on Sunday.
Facing a staffing and pilot shortage, many airlines have already cancelled thousands of flights for the summer season. Also, some 2,700 flights were cancelled over Memorial Day weekend.
Last week Delta announced it is cancelling 100 daily departures from destinations in the U.S. and Latin America in July and August to prevent summer travel disruptions.
“A variety of factors continue to impact our operations, including challenges with air traffic control, weather, and unscheduled absences in some work groups,” a Delta spokesperson said.
Delta was the worst airline affected after it cancelled 700 flights of 2,400 flights collectively cancelled over the three-day Memorial Day weekend.
