From the air to the road, travelers are busy this Labor Day weekend despite cancellations and delays
Labor Day weekend is upon us and that means millions of people are traveling. From the air to the road, our area is expected to stay busy.
According to the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, holiday travel for Labor Day weekend is in full effect despite a number of flight delays and flight cancellations in the state and nationwide.
Airline officials say a big reason for the delays and cancellations is due to violent weather, crowded air traffic with military jets and rocket launches near the gulf.
One local says before she could even make it through security, she found out her flights had been delayed 2 hours. For compensation, she wants credit on her next flight.
“I’m a little irritated that it’s delayed. You know we got a non-stop hoping that we wouldn’t have any problems and, well, that didn’t work out,” says Nikole Goldsmith.
Staffing shortages are also playing a part and, because the Sunshine State is such a popular vacation destination, the crowds for air travel just get bigger and bigger.
“We’re going to L.A. for 10 days,” says Jordan Sernik.
“I’m going to Rockford, Illinois. My dad is doing a vow renewal,” says Nikole Goldsmith.
“Going to the mountains, we’re having a retreat, breath work and all sorts of yoga,” says Jordan Sernik.
According to the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, total passenger activity for this time of the year is about 1.7 million passengers. That’s an upward intake of 31.78% from this time last year. However, that upward intake is still down 9.16% from 2018 and 2019, prior to the pandemic.
According to Bankrate, the average cost for a roundtrip flight is $330.
“It’s harder to compare flight prices because they vary a lot. We also used to catch a lot of Spirit Air and Frontier and they just don’t fly as much anymore, so I don’t know if it’s the gas or the fact that we’re flying American and Delta instead of these budget airlines,” said Lolly Klinger and Jordan Sernik.
“I know Covid has caused a lot of problems with the airlines, but it’s got to be a point where they get it together,” says Nikole Goldsmith.
AAA expects Labor Day weekend air travel to be the busiest it’s ever been in the last 3 years, reaching pre-pandemic levels.
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