As of Wednesday afternoon, a total of 3,097 domestic flights in the United States have been delayed, while 827 domestic flights have been canceled. Domestic flights on Thursdays have also been disrupted, with 558 delays and 188 cancellations already, according to flight tracker FlightAware.The cancellations of flights have been blamed on several factors, including thunderstorms, large masses of crowds, and a plane having an unconventional landing in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Flights along the East Coast, where thunderstorms were present, have been hit with the worst of the delays and cancellations, including the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounding flights going to all three major airports near New York City on Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press.
Smoke from recent wildfires in Canada may also contribute to delays travelers will experience, as earlier this month, the resulting smoke from the fires created a cloudy atmosphere, which could be hazardous to travel and fly in. The wildfires resulted in several flights getting either delayed or outright canceled.
Going into the weekend, travelers can expect further delays, as the FAA has predicted that Thursday will have the most travelers traveling over the holiday weekend. The FAA is expecting over 52,500 total flights to take place on Thursday.While these delays and cancellations may cause concern for some travelers, traveling over the air this holiday weekend does have its benefits, as airline domestic tickets this holiday weekend will be 27% lower this year than they were at the same time in 2022.
This year, the most booked destination in the U.S. over the Fourth of July weekend, which is from June 30 through July 4, is Las Vegas. The domestic cities that follow include Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, and New York City.