Tampa Bay airports brace for busy July 4 — expect delays, cancellations

Bernadette Berdychowski, Tampa Bay Times
Updated ·2 min read

Ahead of the busy July 4 holiday weekend, Tampa International Airport is one of many nationwide experiencing airline delays and cancellations.

About 20% of flights were impacted Wednesday morning, according to the airport’s flight tracker. There were a total of 68 delays and 17 cancellations.

This is a record travel year for the Independence Day holiday, according to AAA The Auto Club Group. About 4.17 million Americans are expected to travel this weekend, up from 2019′s record of 3.97 million travelers, AAA said in a statement. There will be about 220,000 Floridians flying over the weekend, up 11% from last year.

Tampa International officials said last week it expects about 80,000 passengers each day over the weekend, with its busiest days reaching more than 90,000 passengers.

But the high demand for flying could be impacted by storms and staff shortages at air traffic control towers around New York City, AAA warned. Most flights to and from Tampa that have been affected are connections to either LaGuardia, Newark or John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to tracker FlightAware.

“Severe weather beyond Florida earlier this week is still impacting some flight schedules at TPA. As always, passengers should check with their airlines for the most up-to-date flight status,” said Veronica Cintron, the airport’s vice president of communications, in an emailed statement to the Tampa Bay Times.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, low clouds and storms Wednesday could continue to impact flights out of the northeast and Florida, including Tampa and Orlando.

The FAA forecasts there may be a ground stop possible in Orlando and Miami later in the afternoon, though the federal agency did not mention Tampa.

July is St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport’s busiest month, and airport officials said travelers should arrive two hours early for flights and three hours early for international flights. The same advice applies for Tampa International. Flyers should check the weather ahead of flying and stay updated with their airlines about possible delays or cancellations.

The St. Pete-Clearwater airport is undergoing construction as part of the Gateway Express Project, which could affect traffic coming into and leaving the airport.

Parking at both airports is expected to fill, so travelers flying through Tampa International should book parking spaces ahead of time to ensure a spot and St. Pete-Clearwater travelers should consider finding a ride.