Labor Day weekend means a lot of travel across the United States, and it unofficially marks the end of the summer travel season. But, bad weather can cause travel plans to go amuck, and that can put a real damper on travel adventures over any holiday weekend.
According to AAA, there’s some good news for domestic travelers, in that “flights, hotels, and car rentals are cheaper this Labor Day weekend compared to last year.” Also, AAA reports that according to their booking data, Seattle, Orlando and New York are the three most popular cities for domestic travel over Labor Day weekend.
“Labor Day caps off summer travel and provides one final holiday weekend before the fall routine begins,” Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement. “The top cities on the domestic and international lists are Seattle and Vancouver, both port cities for Alaska cruises. While some people are going on dream cruises or European vacations, many travelers are staying closer to home and taking road trips to nearby beaches or national parks.”
Thunderstorms Cause Delays and Cancelations
But, travel hasn’t been easy for those dealing with severe thunderstorms. Travel and Tour World reports that “thousands of passengers were left stranded at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) after over 140 American Airlines flights were canceled due to severe thunderstorms in the area, including routes to Fort Lauderdale, Newark, Phoenix, and more.”
They add that the “travel havoc caused by flight cancellations and delays was compounded by the FAA’s imposed ground stops at both DFW and Dallas Love Field airports. Even with the ground stops being lifted at 8:30 p.m., numerous delays to other flights meant that travelers and airport staff alike were still left without clarity on the travel timelines for the day.”
So, it was a rough stretch for those travelers. Travel and Tour World adds that more than 700 flights were also delayed at both Dallas airports. According to the publication, American Airlines had the “most significant” impact from the storm, followed by Envoy Air and SkyWest. They add that JetBlue, Delta and United Airlines also had “a few cancellations, though these were less significant.”
So, if you’re been traveling this weekend and haven’t had any delays, consider yourself lucky.
