(NBC) Monday morning, frustrated fliers are trying to get back home after thousands of flight delays and hundreds of cancellations put a damper on the holiday weekend.
Bad weather and staffing issues are to blame for the chaos, according to experts, who warn passengers to buckle up for a bumpy summer ahead.
Travel is booming. Nearly seven million have taken flight this holiday weekend since Thursday, rivaling pre-pandemic numbers. But airlines are still operating at a lower capacity and have thousands fewer employees than they did in 2019.
A stream of companies are trimming summer schedules to reduce disruptions with demand soaring.
And roads are congested too, with nearly 35 million behind the wheel this holiday weekend despite record-high gas prices now averaging a jaw-dropping $4.61 a gallon nationwide.
Across the board, prices are way up, and COVID cases are rising, too.
Still, that’s not slowing the surge in travel. So experts say be sure to pack your patience.
AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said, “When you’re traveling, you’re going to have a lot of company on the roads, when you’re at the airport, the lines are gonna be long. It doesn’t help anybody out if you lose your cool.”
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