HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Memorial Day Weekend Kicks Off With Thousands of Canceled Flights

Delta, which canceled the most flights, faulted air traffic control issues and inclement weather.

As Memorial Day weekend kicks off, thousands of Americans will be commemorating the holiday in an airport. Based on data from FlightAware cited by CNN Business, 2,300 flights were canceled on Friday and another 1,300 had been canceled by Saturday afternoon. Delta canceled a full 9 percent of its schedule on Saturday, or 240 flights, faulting air traffic control issues and inclement weather. Airlines have broadly struggled to fill labor shortages, which in recent months have also contributed to operational problems. In a statement this week explaining summer flight reductions, Delta company’s chief customer experience officer cited “weather and air traffic control, vendor staffing, [and] increased COVID case rates contributing to higher-than-planned unscheduled absences in some work groups” as factors that have disrupted its operations “more than any time in our history.”