Severe weather, FAA shortfalls kick off rocky start to summer air travel

Flight disruptions mounted Tuesday as severe storms and staffing issues kicked off a rocky start to summer. More than 6,400 flights US flights were delayed as of Tuesday evening and another 1,800 were canceled, FlightAware data showed, as thunderstorms that derailed thousands of trips over the weekend lingered in airspace that is heavily congested on a clear-weather day. That’s on top of more than 8,800 U.S. delays and 2,246 cancellations Monday. The FAA paused flights bound for New York’s LaGuardia Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Delays were averaging three hours or longer at those airports. The FAA said that the thunderstorms were blocking arrival and departure routes. The disruptions come ahead of the busy Fourth of July holiday travel period, when millions are expected to fly. The TSA said it could screen more travelers than in 2019, before the pandemic, raising competition for spare seats. The Biden administration has pressured airlines to improve their operations after widespread flight disruptions last spring and summer, which prompted carriers to trim their overambitious schedules. But the industry struggled to recover this past weekend from a series of thunderstorms that didn’t let up for days. Thunderstorms are difficult for airlines because they can form with less warning than other major weather obstacles like winter storms or hurricanes. Rolling delays could force crews to reach federally mandated workday limits and further worsen disruptions. About 30,000 flights have arrived late since Saturday, FlightAware data showed, with cancellation rates from Saturday through Monday up more than three times the average for the year. Some airline executives have also blamed some of the disruptions on shortages of air traffic controllers. <br/>