MORE than 2,200 flights have already been canceled as travelers descend on airports at the start of Memorial Day weekend.
Transit centers could get even more chaotic as more Americans are reportedly planning to travel this holiday weekend than they did last year.
As of 7pm EST, there were 2,231 flights canceled as reported by FlightAware. The number continued to increase throughout the day.
Additionally, over 14,500 flights were delayed worldwide, according to the website.
Experts say the travel demand has increased significantly since the pandemic abruptly ended the majority of travel in 2020.
More people are expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend than they did in 2021 despite record high gasoline prices, higher hotel rates, and expensive airplane tickets, the Washington Post reported.
The national cost of gasoline has increased to $4.60, which is 50 cents higher than it was last year. Some states, like California, are paying up to $6 for a gallon of gas.
On average, the cost of midrange hotel rooms is retailing for $230, which is a 42percent increase from last year. The lowest cost of an airplane ticket is $184, which is a 6percent increase from the year prior.
Some travelers have opted to stay closer to home due to rising travel costs but still want to get out of the house to celebrate the "unofficial" start of summer.
“Now that the fear of COVID among travelers has significantly subsided — and despite inflationary pressures — folks are determined to get out there," Amir Eylon, president of travel and tourism market research consulting firm Longwoods International, told the Washington Post.
AAA predicts that approximately 40million people nationwide will travel this weekend.
One of the reasons more people are expected to travel is reportedly because Covid vaccines are more widely available to the public than they were last year.
“I think this year, especially with vaccines being readily available and many people being vaccinated, many people have a desire to travel,” AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Ragina Ali told the Washington Post.
A survey from AAA found that one in three people said Memorial Day travel will be their first significant summer trip since 2019.
According to a survey from a Washington Post-Schar School poll, 72percent of Americans plan to take a trip this summer.
In Maryland, officials are advising people to visit their beaches early in the morning or later during the day in an effort to ease travel congestion.
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