Airmageddon: holiday travel at US airports tops 2019

Travel for Fourth of July weekend skyrockets as travellers hit the road

Crowds pass through Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City, Utah. AP

The Fourth of July holiday weekend is off to a booming start, with airport crowds crushing pre-pandemic numbers.

Travellers seemed to be experiencing fewer delays and cancelled flights early on Friday compared with earlier this week.

The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2.4 million travellers at airport checkpoints on Thursday, 17 per cent more than on the same Friday before the Fourth of July in 2019.

Top destinations for summer travel from the UAE — in pictures

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  1. The Philippines is the top choice for UAE travellers this summer, with more Skyscannner flight bookings to Manila than any other destination. Photo: Cris Tagupa / Unsplash

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  2. Cairo, Egypt, also ranks highly among holidaymakers. EPA

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  3. The Amman Citadel, an ancient Roman landmark in Amman, Jordan, could be a popular destination as the city has the third most bookings according to Skyscanner. Reuters

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  4. UAE travellers are also flocking to Mumbai, India. Photo: Paul Hilton

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  5. Tourists visit the waterfront in Istanbul, Turkey, the fifth most popular city according to data. Photo: Erhan Demirtas / Bloomberg

“We expect that [Friday] is going to be busy, of course, and then Sunday will be very busy,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said on NBC's Today show.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) predicted that about 48 million people will travel at least 80 kilometres or more from home at the weekend, slightly fewer than in 2019. The organisations said car travel would set a record, even with the national average price for gasoline hovering near $5.

Leisure travel has bounced back this year, offsetting weakness in business travel and international flying. Still, the total number of people flying has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. TSA screened 11 per cent fewer people in June than it did in the same month of 2019.

Thursday marked the 11th time since the pandemic started that the TSA had checked more people than it did on the same day in 2019 and only the second time since February.

Airlines could almost surely be carrying more passengers if they had enough staffing. Many US airlines have trimmed their summer schedules after bad weather, air traffic delays and a lack of employees caused widespread cancellations during the Memorial Day weekend.

Independence Day in the US — in pictures

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  Fireworks on the boardwalk at New York's historic Coney Island. Photo: Bob Jagendorf

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  Face-painting is often a US holiday tradition. Photo: US National Archives

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  The National Archives celebrates Independence Day with musical performances, a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence, and history-related family activities, this time in 2019 in Washington DC. Nara Photo by Jeffrey Reed.

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  Washington Nationals Racing Presidents stop at the National Archives to shoot a new fourth-inning race introduction video, where they were met by US Archivist David Ferriero.

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  Visitors read the US Constitution on display at the National Archives in Washington.

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  The skyrockets' red glare lights up the Washington Monument. Photo: Joseph Gruber

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  The National Archives celebrates Independence Day with musical performances, a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence, and history-related family activities on July 4, 2019, in Washington DC. NARA Photo by Jeffrey Reed.

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  A man and his patriotic dog show their civic pride. Photo Faith Goble

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  Role players recreate a scene from 1776 for an audience outside Washington's National Archives. Photo: US National Archives

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  Disneyland's Space Mountain and an epic fireworks display. Photo: Don Sullivan

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  The National Archives celebrates Independence Day with musical performances, a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence, and history-related family activities on July 4, 2019 in Washington DC. NARA Photo by Ted Chaffman.

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  Costumed role players participate in Washington's Independence Day tradition. Photo: US National Archives

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  Independence Day in the US is celebrated from coast to coast. Photo: US Army

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  Flag-bearing Fourth of July revellers rumble through the streets of middle America. Photo: Ken Mattison

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  Macy's department store hosts one of the nation's largest displays of fireworks on New York's East River. Photo: Dan Nguyen

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  A four-legged American shows its colours. Photo: Randy Robertson

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  Parades throughout the streets of America are a Fourth of July tradition and give classic car owners a chance to strut their stuff. Photo: Robert Couse-Baker

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  Residents of Berkeley, California, enjoy an evening of pyrotechnics. Photo: Daniel Parks

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  A giant bald eagle balloon makes its way through Washington and past the National Archives. Photo: US National Archives

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  The National Archives hosts an annual Independence Day celebration with musical performances, a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence, and history-related family activities. Photo: US National Archives

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  An air dancer by the National Archives on the Fourth of July in Washington. Photo: US National Archives

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  The National Mall, with Washington monuments and the US Capitol in the background, forms a beautiful and patriotic backdrop to America's Independence Day celebrations. Photo: Carol Highsmith

Airline executives blame their flight problems on the Federal Aviation Administration, which runs the nation's air traffic control system, but Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg disputes that claim.

By late morning on Friday on the East Coast, airlines had cancelled about 200 US flights and another 1,400 were delayed. From June 22 through Wednesday at least 600 flights were cancelled, and between 4,000 and 7,000 were delayed per day, tracking service FlightAware reported.