Cancellation of flights to the USA on July 3 – the reason is named

By Saturday afternoon, about 600 domestic and international flights had been canceled in the US, and more than 2,500 flights were delayed. Things were no better on Friday, with 587 flights canceled in the US out of 3,060 flights canceled by carriers worldwide.

In the early stages of the COVID pandemic, the aviation industry suffered huge losses due to massive flight cancellations. While federal bailouts have helped airlines avoid layoffs, tens of thousands of workers have left the industry after carriers began incentivizing employees to take early retirement.

Analysts at the consultancy Third Bridge estimate that US aviation now employs about 15% fewer employees compared to the period before the pandemic, while they have to handle passenger traffic, which is 90% of the level of 2019.

The mass cancellation of flights has caught the attention of transport minister Pete Buttigieg.

On Saturday, Buttigieg posted a series of tweets that are essentially advising consumers on what to do in the event of a flight cancellation, such as whether to accept miles from carriers as compensation or demand cash refunds.

“Often this can be negotiated. This issue is decided between you and the airline,” Buttigieg wrote.

On Thursday, Delta pilots staged pickets at several airports demanding new contracts and complaining of overwork.

The shortage of pilots is the most pressing problem in the entire aviation industry. According to McNally, there is no short-term solution to this problem and is not expected, and it becomes especially acute during the holiday peaks.

Airlines say they are working to address the issue by hiring pilots and other staff, and reducing passenger seating by 15%.

Recall that massive flight cancellations continue in Europe. Strikes across Europe exacerbated the chaos at airports. Expected that more flights will be canceled during the summer.

We previously wrote why in Europe employees of airports and airlines massively rally.

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