As carriers scrambled to staff their planes, several hundred flights to the United States were cancelled on Saturday, the first day of a lengthy and almost definitely chaotic holiday travel weekend. British tourists should prepare for additional travel havoc this summer across Europe after Ryanair employees became the latest to threaten strike action on Saturday. All around the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe, there is aviation pandemonium.
As the industry tries to control a rise in travel demand that likely surpasses its present capacity, US airlines are preparing passengers for what will likely be a turbulent Fourth of July holiday weekend. Many vacationers leaving town had a rocky start due to flight cancellations and delays.
Approximately 600 flights within, into, or out of the United States had been cancelled as of midday, and more than 2,500 planes had been delayed, according to flight tracking service flightaware.com, as Americans prepared to celebrate Independence Day on July 4. According to the website, there were 3,060 airline cancellations worldwide on Friday, including 587 US flights.
Airlines in the UK will this week announce a number of changes to summer flight schedules. According to sources, British Airways will bear the brunt of the changes and Heathrow will be the airport most negatively impacted.
Over the past few days, there have been numerous horror stories about travellers becoming stranded at airports and going through odysseys to get where they are going. Travel has increased as summer approaches and those bored of living in their homes due to the pandemic look to travel again. In the early phases of the pandemic, the airline sector suffered greatly as individuals kept close to home.
