Holiday flightmare for thousands becomes desperate as more than 700 flights are delayed or canceled already as severe storms blast the East Coast with hail and tornadoes.
- Nearly 100 flights have already been canceled as of early Monday morning and delays were at 521 and steadily climbing as more severe weather is predicted
- At least 15 states from the Northeast and mid-Atlantic to the Southeast are under a threat of even more severe weather as the Fourth of July holiday approaches
By ANDREA CAVALLIER, SENIOR REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 08:17 EDT, 3 July 2023 | UPDATED: 09:12 EDT, 3 July 2023.
Thousands of travelers are making one last ditch effort to get to their destinations for the Fourth of the July holiday after storms walloped the country, causing mass delays and cancelations.
Nearly 100 flights have already been canceled as of early Monday morning and delays were at 661 and steadily climbing, according to FlightAware.
More severe weather is expected to pummel at least 15 states from the Northeast and mid-Atlantic to the Southeast on Monday following a day of storms.
Not only is air travel being snarled, but so it road traffic with millions of people along the Interstate 95 corridor under the threat of strong winds, hail and possibly an isolated tornado.
There were 15,567 flight delays in and out of the United States on Saturday and Sunday and a total of 905 flights were canceled.
More than 50 million people are expected to make a trip of 50 miles or more this holiday weekend with AAA predicting the numbers will break records.
Stranded passengers have reported having to sleep at the airport and stand in line for hours as they tried to rebook their flights, with some saying they were forced to wait several days for their checked bags.
Today’s continued travel chaos comes after furious passengers stranded in airports across the country lashed out at Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for not fixing the airline industry.
But Buttigieg doesn’t appear worried with how embattled airlines plans to improve, instead on Sunday morning said he is ‘focused’ on making sure the U.S. airlines stay on track over the holiday as he warned of ‘severe weather’ causing even more delays and cancelations.
According to the National Weather Service, there were more than 250 combined reports of wind, hail and possible tornado damage from the Mississippi River to the East Coast.
On Monday, travelers on Interstate 95 corridor from southern New England to the mid-Atlantic and the Carolinas will be at risk.
The area from southern New Jersey through South Carolina is at a level 2 out of 5 on its thunderstorm risk scale, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
The East Coast could also see severe weather last into Fourth of July on Tuesday. The SPC has also placed parts of the Plains and Upper Midwest at a level 2 out of 5 on its thunderstorm risk scale.
Travelers took to Twitter where they slammed multiple airline throughout the debacle, which has left thousands stranded at airports for hours or even days.
One passenger called out United for canceling their flight, leaving them stranded in Newark, New Jersey for five days.
‘Unbelievable. Our flight was slated to leave today a full two hours before any storms, but United cancelled our flight again. We are marooned in Newark, and have been for 5 days. No hotel rooms for us, promise to reimburse, spending $1000s. #UnitedAirlines #familyfirst.’
United Airlines throws baggage and makes travelers sleep in airport
United Airlines was hit hard by cancelations, and now the company is offering furious passengers 30,000 air miles to try and convince them to stay loyal to the company following a week of cancellation chaos – forcing many to spend nights in airports with many never landing at their final destinations.
United was also scrambling to save face after it emerged that the carrier’s CEO, Scott Kirby, flew privately from New York to Denver, while paying customers were left sleeping on airport floors.
‘Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home,’ Kirby said in a statement issued by the airline.
Passengers were unimpressed, with one tweeting a screenshot of his $10 million salary – significantly more than the CEOs of Delta or American Airlines.
In a letter to those worst affected by this week’s chaos, Chief Customer Officer Linda Jojo said: ‘I know this week was hard. Really bad weather, air traffic control issues and some of our own operational challenges led to a rough experience for you and many of our customers.
‘Providing these miles is the right thing to do. After all, you put your trust in us and expect more,’ Jojo added.
United have not said how many people will receive the miles.
Last month, United canceled about 19 percent of its scheduled flights as thunderstorms and equipment failures at a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration facility in Washington caused significant delays for air travelers on the U.S. East Coast.
United is also working with Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to get more gates, Kirby said, adding the company would have to further change or reduce its schedule give itself more spare gates and buffer, particularly during storm season.