The Fourth of July travel is rushing here, and it is becoming the busiest ever.
Despite the cut-off schedule and lingering concerns about travel demand this summer, recent weeks have brought the busiest days of all time at U.S. airports.
They also bring a lot of headaches.
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This week, delays in cancellations and delays increased as summer thunderstorms slammed the country’s pockets. More than 40,000 departures have been cancelled or delayed since Saturday, affecting millions of passengers, according to Flightaware.
That is, the peak of July 4th is coming. The development of this situation will depend to a large extent on the way nature cooperates.
Here’s what it takes to know about the crowds, travel dilemmas, and how to prepare for the busiest weeks of U.S. airports.
Record crowd
Summer begins with a dark cloud, a variety of travel industries. Airline warned that consumers have tightened their budgets and demand has continued in the face of economic problems.
After several summers of crushing demand value, will the airport pack again?
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A long story short, Yes.
Of course, the remaining signs still exist. It’s just that we see a series of route cutting made by airlines.
But that doesn’t mean you should wait until the last minute to arrive at the airport. Five of the 10 busy days in the history of U.S. airports have arrived since Memorial Day weekend, according to Transportation Safety Administration data reviewed by TPG.
These include the largest travel day ever reported by TSA on June 22, when more than 3 million passengers passed the checkpoint, a Sunday high after Thanksgiving last year.
Don’t be surprised if the record reappears this week.
What is the busiest day for the fourth trip in July?
Thursday, on the eve of July 4, is expected to be the culmination of a rush in holiday weekends, with booking app Hopper predicting in the holiday forecast.
Sunday and Monday should be the busiest days for travelers coming back from travelers, Hopper said.
So if you are flying, plan extra time at the airport:
Among all airlines, the AAA predicts that the number of leaflets will reach 1.4% on July 4 last year.
United Airlines is expected to serve 6 million passengers between June 27 and July 7, an increase of one million from last year, with an average of 4,800 flights per day.
A difficult week of travel
Unfortunately, there is no right foot for the holiday week.
Severe summer weather proved to be the culprit in the past few days after American Airlines’ computer failure scared air traffic on airlines in the second half of last week.
Flightaware shows that between Saturday and Tuesday, airlines canceled more than 4,000 flights across the United States.
All in all, more than 40,000 flights have been affected by cancellations or delays since Saturday.
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On Tuesday, a city storm above and below much of the East Coast shocked the city, and the Federal Aviation Administration predicted flight dilemma could extend to Wednesday mornings in the New York City area.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) established ground stations in some of the largest East Coast hubs, including all three major airports in the Washington, D.C. and New York City area.
Among them: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), which has been greatly improved in recent weeks due to the end of the runway construction project, which contributed to the chaos at the New Jersey hub last spring.
However, this is a slow pace at all major hubs in the region on Tuesday.
More than a quarter of all departures were cancelled Tuesday at LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
Meanwhile, the ground delays near the nearby John Kennedy International Airport (JFK) were more than 100 minutes, resulting in increasing cancellations, including the connection I booked on a trip home from Europe on Tuesday night.
What to do if you travel this week
So, what should you do if you go on vacation this week, or like me?
When trouble pops up, please go directly to the airline app
Usually, when your flight is delayed or cancelled, you only need to rebook your own few faucets in the airline’s app. When the American informed me that I canceled my contact from Kennedy International Airport (JFK), I rebooked myself in about 15 seconds on another flight.
The performance also quickly gave me the opportunity to book hotel rooms near the airport – many other travelers may be seeking to do so.
Read more: Flight delay or cancellation? This is the next step
Keep the receipt and book with the correct card
While airlines are unlikely to reimburse hotel nights and meals and other expenses incurred in bad weather, there is still a way to repay the money.
Some of TPG’s favorite reward credit cards offer travel insurance for such situations. Remember: In most cases, you must use this card to book a trip.
I hope to be able to take advantage of the protection I get from PlatinumCard® from American Express, which should at least remove the financial burden of these flight dilemmas.
Keep your luggage close
If you experience an area where you expect to see a storm (or the time of day when storms may occur), I recommend you not to check the bag.
By insisting on carrying around, there is less risk of being separated from your items if you have to make last-minute changes, or if the connection is tighter than you expect.
Read more: How to Track Baggage with Apple Airtag
Remember your refund rights
Under the U.S. Department of Transportation policy, if your flight is cancelled or significantly delayed and you choose not to travel, you are entitled to a full refund.
This means that if your Thursday of your July 4th weekend departure is cancelled and you decide to throw away the well-known towels completely on the go, you can stay home and get your money back.
Refunds are also available if you decide to cancel your flight and take a train or drive.
Remember: If you accept rebooking from an airline, you may not be eligible for a refund even if the flight is many hours later than the plan.
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