Expect large crowds, possible flight disruptions at Denver International Airport for the 4th of July holiday weekend
Flight disruptions continue to plague travelers and are expected to hit especially hard over the July 4th weekend.
"It's not quite back to normal yet," Jonathan Hall said while picking up his luggage at Denver International Airport on Thursday. While Hall had a smooth flight into Denver from Utah, he and other travelers like John Stanley know that isn't always the case.
"I think it's lack of organization on some airlines," Stanley said.
Chad Kendall a professor of aviation and aerospace at Metropolitan State University of Denver, says we are seeing a perfect storm come together when it comes to air travel disruptions.
"We have a global pilot shortage, labor disputes specifically with Delta and Alaska Airlines right now. We have seasonal weather around the country during the summertime," Kendall said.
Airlines are now under pressure to get things back on track and to do so quickly. Many are already reducing the number of originally planned flights this summer in an attempt to make the remaining schedule more reliable. Kendall says while airlines are trying to catch up on training new pilots, which was delayed by the pandemic, fixing a staffing issue in the industry won't happen overnight.
"It's not like you can pull someone off the street and say 'Come fly with us,'" he said.
While some travelers say they're doing their best to avoid flying altogether, those who can't are making decisions with the potential for disruption in mind.
"Fly out early in the morning and you'll never get canceled. Fly out in the early afternoon and you'll never get canceled, but the 10 o'clock flight? Every time, it's getting canceled," Stanley said.
Airlines are saying they're not all to blame. They've raised their own concerns with the FAA and staffing shortages in air traffic control.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who recently met with officials from some of the major airlines, says if they fail to meet consumer standards they will take action by issuing fines. He set the holiday weekend as a deadline.