SAN ANTONIO – Many travelers are eagerly making plans to celebrate the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.
However, for those who are planning to travel by air, there is a growing concern over potential flight delays and cancellations.
The amount of people traveling is set to exceed pre-pandemic numbers.
Katy Nastro, a travel expert for going.com, said it will be a record-breaking weekend for travel.
“Over 4 million people are projected to fly, just fly alone. Over 51 million people are projected to travel in some fashion all over the course of the weekend,” said Nastro.
The Transportation Security Administration said Friday is the peak travel day of the holiday weekend, with TSA screening an estimated 2.82 million people and roughly 17.7 million during the 7-day travel period.
Nastro said increased travel demand and challenging weather conditions had created a perfect storm for disruptions.
“You know, with Mother Nature, things have been a little bit messy to start the week off. Since Tuesday, we’ve seen over 4,500 flights canceled and thousands and thousands upon more have gotten delayed,” said Nastro.
The going.com travel experts said if you find yourself dealing with a delayed or canceled flight and the domestic line is busy, try calling the international customer service line.
“Just because you’re located in the U.S. doesn’t mean that someone working for the same airline located in London, for example, couldn’t help you just the same. They have the same access and can get you rebooked,” said Nastro.
She also said booking a morning flight has a 25-percentage point higher on-time arrival rate versus afternoon or evening flights.
“That’s for a few reasons. Weather tends to be better in the morning, you know, not always, but in general. And as well as your plane is already at the airport. So, it’s not coming in from somewhere else, risking getting delayed due to the weather or some other issue,” said Nastro.
At last check, at the San Antonio International Airport, there have been a little over 30 delays and two cancellations.
Most travelers departing San Antonio said they are mostly concerned with their connections.
TSA said they are prepared for sustained higher passenger volumes at airport security checkpoints nationwide.