News

Air Travel is Up, but Flight Cancellations Are Down

July 15, 2024

Even as the number of passengers continues to soar, flight cancellations are at their lowest levels since 2015.

Despite record-breaking levels of air travel this year, flight cancellation levels are actually down at U.S. airports. According the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the flight cancellation rate for the first half of 2024 was just 1.4% — a rate last match back in 2015. This is happening even with those soaring air travel numbers: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened more passengers in a single day at U.S. airports on June 23 than ever before — 2,99 million — and more than 32 million passengers traveled by air over the July 4^th holiday weekend. This was a 5.4% increase over the same period in 2023, and more records may be broken as airfares have fallen 6% since last year and are now below pre-pandemic prices.

“This year’s record-breaking air travel is another good sign for our economy as more Americans take to the skies than ever before,” saysU.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

However, weather remains a leading cause of flight cancellations, and this summer is already off to a rough weather start, with flights being delayed as extreme heat across the U.S. caused some planes to have technical failures that need repairing before they can depart. When you have attendees flying in for a meeting, flight delays can cause almost as much of a hassle as cancelled flights. It can help to schedule flight times either early in the morning or late at night, when air is coolest.

The U.S. is still experiencing a shortage of up to 3,000 air traffic controllers — during last year’s then-record-breaking passenger numbers, this lack of sufficient air traffic controllers was blamed for air traffic jams and even some near collisions. The Points Guy, Clint Henderson, told CNBC, “There is still a shortage of air traffic controllers, but it hasn’t led to the worst outcomes that we were expecting when we were talking about the shortage of air traffic control workers even a year ago.”

Airline Delay Data

Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Transportation tracks all sorts of data on the 10 largest U.S. airlines, including which are experiencing the most and least delays. The most on-time airline right now, with an 83% on-time arrival record during the first quarter of this year, is Delta. Hawaiian Airlines is second, with a 79% on-time arrival record, though it only serves 10 airports. United comes in just a few tenths of a percentage point behind Hawaiian Airlines.

The three biggest laggard airlines are also considered to be budget airlines: JetBlue Airways comes in last at 70%, followed by Frontier Airlines (72%) and Spirit Airlines (73%).

In addition to trying to book flights on Delta, what else can attendees do to up their chances of getting to the meeting before the keynote starts? According to The Street, it helps to just bring a carry-on bag to avoid having to wait for a checked bag to make it to the baggage carousel, and get travel insurance. Why travel insurance? Some policies may reimburse you for flight delays and/or cancellations, while others may pay on the spot if you have to rebook a delayed or cancelled flight while still at the airport.

You also can speed up the process by signing up for TSA PreCheck and Clear, which can get you through security lines quicker. Also, if you haven’t already, download an airline tracker app, such as Flighty, both to see what’s happening with your flight and to learn the most up-to-date options should a flight delay or cancellation happen.