Thousands of flights nationwide canceled; 17 reported at LAX

A wave of flight cancellations during Memorial Day weekend has caused some delays at LAX.

"We were really lucky, all our flights were right on time and everyone's been really friendly," said traveler Kristen Greulach.

At LAX, 10 flights were canceled on Monday. On Sunday alone, there were 38 flight delays and17 flight cancellations. Nationwide, more than 3,500 flights were canceled, and over 560 flights were delayed over what travel experts indicated would be the busiest weekend since 2019.

The Southland's most popular international hub also reported 32 cancellations between Friday and Saturday.

Delta Airlines blamed bad weather and air traffic control issues for the delays and cancellations. They reported the most cancelations on Sunday, with 9% of their operations, or 240 flights scrapped.

"I usually fly Delta, but wanted to try United. United wasn't bad at all," Wilfred Nwakpudoiu told CBSLA Reporter Tena Ezzeddine. "My friends flying in from Delta and they said they were delayed."

The cancellations come as the TSA reported a little over 2.3 million passengers on Friday, the second-highest daily total since before the pandemic.

"I would say yes, this was the busiest I've seen it in the last six months," said Greulach.

Making matters worse, travelers are facing skyrocketing fares for both domestic and some international flights. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans are paying a third more for flights than they did one year ago.

"The flights are back to what it was before COVID, I think. Because right now everything is more expensive. I mean with the gas prices and everything," Natalia Matloubian told Ezzeddine. 

No cancellations were reported at either Long Beach Airport or John Wayne Airport in Orange County, though Hollywood/Burbank Airport was forced to cancel just two. 

Meanwhile, for those traveling by car, gas prices jumped by more than 50 percent as compared to last year at the same time. The average price of gas in LA County was $6.15 per gallon.

Those planning to travel by car were advised to leave before 10 a.m., and avoid traveling between 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., which is expected to be the worst time to hit the road.