US: Travel chaos affecting airports on eve of fourth of July; thousands of flights cancelled

Air travel chaos has affected airports across the United States on the eve of Independence Day, with thousands of flights cancelled. Citing data from FlightAware, a report by BBC early Tuesday (July 4) said that on Monday, over 3,000 flights were delayed or cancelled within, into, or out of the US. Sunday had the highest number of US airport passengers ever, data from the Transportation Security Administration showed.

Last Sunday, Secretary of Transporation Pete Buttigieg said the reason air travel had been so chaotic was because of severe weather, which he said had “put enormous pressure on the system”.

Data from FlightAware also said that United Airlines was worst affected by delays on Monday, with over 300 flights delayed. Over the last week, the airline had over 5,000 delays and cancellations.

United CEO’s plan to prevent another meltdown

Scott Kirby, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of United Airlines, laid out plans to avoid a repeat of last week- including reducing flights at its hub airport in Newark and improving its crew-scheduling system, according to a report by the news agency Associated Press on Monday. 

Earlier, Kirby had said United Airlines was working with regional authorities to get more gates at the airport but would need to reduce its schedule there to create more of a buffer, especially during thunderstorm season.

Recently, the United CEO faced flak for hopping on a private plane to get out of New York while thousands of the airline’s passengers were stranded as it cancelled several flights. Kirby apologised and promised to better demonstrate his respect for the dedication of the airline’s team and the loyalty of its customers. 

New 5G rollout might interfere with aircraft technology

As American citizens head to the long Independence Day weekend, industry officials have expressed concerns that a new 5G rollout around airports might interfere with aircraft technology. However, a spokesperson from the Department of Transportation said told CBS News that there were no major flight disruptions related to the matter.

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