Flight Cancellations Create Chaos For Summer Vacation Travelers Transcript

Speaker 1: (00:01) With no COVID restrictions and summer in full swing, travelers are once again taking to the skies as airlines struggle to keep up with demand. Speaker 2: (00:09) On my way to the airport, I see my flight's canceled. So I'm like, "Oh, well, this is unfortunate." Speaker 1: (00:16) More than 700 flights were canceled Friday across the US, with over 6,000 delayed. Airlines now bracing for a 4th of July weekend surge as they deal with the ripple effects of a pandemic, including a lack of pilots. Doug Shupe: (00:30) All of a sudden people want to hop on those planes and take those vacations again. So there are some staffing shortages that have been causing some problems within the airlines recently. Speaker 1: (00:40) Travelers can also expect to pay more. Guad: (00:42) Where can consumers expect the biggest price hikes? Doug Shupe: (00:45) Airfare is going to be about 14% higher than last year. Hotel accommodations are going to be about 23% higher than last year. We're still going to be paying pretty high prices at the pump when we fill up and head out for our 4th of July. Speaker 1: (00:59) Yet, despite the higher prices, many of us still plan on getting away, AAA anticipating nearly 48 million Americans will go on vacation over the coming week ahead of the 4th of July, the vast majority expected to travel by car. Speaker 5: (01:13) I'm confident that I'm going to Vegas regardless of the gas price. I mean it's going to eat at my wallet, but I'm going to have fun. Speaker 1: (01:21) But fun still comes at a cost. This morning, the price of gas is still sky high at an average of $4.91 a gallon. Guad: (01:29) It's going to be a challenging summer for travel, but especially for airlines. The latest air travel consumer report from the Department of Transportation indicates that consumer complaints against airlines rose more than 300% this year as compared to pre-pandemic levels, and is growing every month so far in 2022. Morgan: (01:50) Wow. Guad: (01:51) Peter, Morgan? Peter: (01:52) Yeah. So much to look forward to and already so many frustrations for all those folks trying to get away. Guad, thank you so much for that. Speaker 8: (02:01) Hey, thanks for watching our YouTube channel. Find your favorite recipes, celebrity interviews, uplifting stories, shop our favorite deals, and so much more with the Today app. Download it now.