Sunday 3 July 2022 10:00 PM More than 280 flights are cancelled and 2,751 are delayed as 'Airmageddon' ... trends now

Travel chaos continued on Sunday with more than 280 flights cancelled and 2,751 delayed by the afternoon during the busiest Independence Day weekend since the pandemic began.

United Airlines has cancelled 53 flights and delayed 183 so far this morning. Delta has cancelled 39 flights and delayed 283, and American Airlines has cancelled 26 and delayed 391. 

At least 209 flights were canceled as early as 10am, and 938 delayed, according to FlightAware, which reported that by the end of Saturday, 654 US flights were called off and 5,860 were delayed.

Adding to the mayhem were a series of severe thunder storms that passed through the east coast and midwest on Saturday. 

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who previously called on airlines to get in shape before the weekend, appeared to give up on getting things under control yesterday as he told Americans to follow his lead and claim compensation over the canceled flights. 

'Airlines offer miles as compensation for some travel issues, and you can often negotiate on this,' tweeted Buttigieg, who said he got back $112.07 over his canceled flight on Friday after he was initially offered about $30 back. 

'Sometimes an airline will offer you points or miles as compensation, but you are entitled to a cash refund when your flight is canceled.'

Delta has taken to drastic measures to quell customer dissatisfaction, with passengers from one overbooked Delta flight reporting that the airline offered eight passengers $10,000 each to forfeit their seats last week. 

Around 48 million people are expected to travel this weekend with AAA estimating 3.5million would take to the air. But the actual number of passengers flying may be dramatically higher as, the Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2.1 million travelers at airports on Saturday alone.

Leading major U.S. airlines in cancellations on yesterday was American Airlines, which canceled 102 flights and delayed 889 flights. Delta followed behind, canceling 82 flights and delaying 535.

United Airlines canceled 43 flights and delayed 492, and Southwest has called off 25 flights and delayed 1,048 flights. 

Since the hectic Juneteenth travel weekend, the U.S. has seen more than 12,000 flights cancelled, according to FlightAware. 

In addition to airport chaos and heavy traffic, holiday travelers will have to contend with higher prices. Average gas prices have soared 56 percent from a year ago, mid-range hotel prices have increased 23 percent, and average lowest airfares are up 14 percent. 

In total, AAA projects that 47.9 million Americans will travel for the Fourth this year, up 3.7 percent from last year and close to the historic peak reached in 2019, before the pandemic struck.

In addition, the Biden administration is blaming the airlines, saying it received billions in stimulus money to keep afloat during the pandemic and should stick to the schedule it publishes. 

Buttigieg said earlier this month that airlines had until July 4 to figure out the issues and work out the kinks so travelers can have a smooth summer holiday.   

Buttigieg pushed back earlier this week when the head of the trade group Airlines for America blamed the FAA for delays.

'The majority of cancellations and the majority of delays have nothing to do with air traffic control staffing,' Buttigieg told NBC Nightly News.

Amid the Fourth of July travel chaos, many are calling on Buttigieg to act rather than give out advice on how to get compensation like he did. 

One Twitter user with the handle, The Dude, wrote: 'Hey Pete … maybe, as Secretary of Transportation, you should be meeting with FAA, major airlines and other key folk involved - slamming your fist on the table and demanding they work out these issues and a plan to address the problems … not update us on frequent flyer miles. 

Another Twitter user with the handle, Limstone Caulk, added: 'How about, people just want to go somewhere when they actually paid to go?' 

Brian Jackson, another Twitter user, said he, too, wanted Buttigieg to be proactive in the situation.

'You know [as] the Secretary of Transportation you could maybe I don't know fix the root cause of the delays so no one would need a refund and would actually get to their destination?' 

Another Twitter user with the handle Pantazopopulos wrote:  'How bout you actually find out the reasons the airlines are having issues and see if there is a way to help, I mean, if you're not busy, since you are Transportation Secretary.' 

While Buttigieg was only able to finagle $112 out of his flight cancellation, eight passengers on a Delta airlines flight to Minneapolis last week reportedly walked away with $10,000 each in return for giving up their seats on the overbooked flight.

Inc. magazine Tech columnist Jason Aten wrote how he and his family were sitting onboard the aircraft before takeoff, when flight crew announced the offer over the intercom.

'If you have Apple Pay, you'll even have the money right now,' he said a the flight attendant told passengers.

Another passenger on the same flight, Todd McCrumb, told KTVB that staff initially offered passengers $5,000, before bumping it up to $10,000.

Speaking to The New York Post, a spokesperson for Delta Airlines declined to comment on the amount passengers were offered on that flight, but confirmed that flight crews were authorized offer cash to passengers. 

'Compensation is one of the many ways that our employees are empowered to manage oversold flights to take care of customers, but also make sure that the aircraft go out on time,' said spokesperson Anthony Black.

In April 2017

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