Storms, air traffic controller shortage causing flight delays and cancellations to start the summer

The issues started on Saturday as severe weather began to sweep through parts of the country.

News 12 Staff

Jun 27, 2023, 9:29 PM

Updated 527 days ago

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The three major airports in the New York City have been experiencing flight delays and cancellations due to a combination of reasons.
The issues started on Saturday as severe weather began to sweep through parts of the country. The storms continued throughout the week.
The Federal Aviation Administration has also advised airlines to expect to see impacts due to a shortage of experienced air traffic controllers.
Matthew Kondrup, of Matty K Travel Group, believes air travel could improve over July 4 and the rest of the summer compared to 2022.
"We know that from the airlines, what they passed along to us from the travel community, that they are much better staffed this year than they were last year," Kondrup says. "They definitely did a lot of hiring to not have the same backlog we had last year, that we saw last year with cancellations going on daily."
Travelers at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday, however, were not feeling any relief.
"There is no flight until the first of July, and we don't have a place to stay here until the first of July," says Ramila Tarverdiyeva, of Houston. "The best option they gave us is a flight to Baltimore, which is tomorrow and they don't pay anything. They don't want to cover anything, transportation or stay in a hotel. Nothing."
Others like Eleanor Oster, of Detroit, said they may rent a car because they have to get back to work before their next flight is scheduled.
Travel experts say during every summer, flights can be unpredictable so travelers should prepare as if their flight will be delayed or canceled.