(CNN) – As millions of Americans embark on their Juneteenth holiday weekend travels, they are encountering significant obstacles, including numerous flight cancellations and delays.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented a ground delay program at Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday, resulting in delays exceeding two hours, as reported on the FAA website. Philadelphia International Airport also experienced a ground delay, averaging 45 minutes.
In the western region, Denver International Airport faced a ground delay due to storms on Friday, causing delays of nearly two hours.
According to Flight Aware, a flight tracking site, there were over 9,000 flight delays and 579 cancellations in the United States on Friday, with the highest number of cancellations occurring at the three major airports in New York.
Improvements in Flight Operations
The situation improved slightly on Saturday, with 7,408 delays and over 350 cancellations. As of 11 am (Miami time) on Sunday, there were still over 1,600 delays across the US.
Data from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reveals a surge in passenger numbers at US airport checkpoints this week, including over 2.7 million passengers on Thursday, surpassing pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
On Sunday, TSA agents screened another 2.7 million passengers, once again exceeding 2019 levels. This increase can be attributed to the combination of the Emancipation Day holiday, Father’s Day, and pent-up travel demand.
