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Tighten the seat belt: There is a mess of moving forward. What began as the so-called "revenge trip" summer turned into travel hell after two years of outbreaks.

"I'm very frustrated and disappointed," said one leaflet.

"They suddenly canceled the flight after carrying a few people," another said.

Kindal Young and her children weren't going to risk losing a minute at Disney World this weekend. "There was an extra day to catch up in case I missed this [flight] ... I made an extra day," she said.

With 48 million people expected to travel in the busiest pandemic this weekend of independence, national airlines are struggling to catch up. Since the anniversary, more than 200,000 flights have been delayed in the United States alone, 24,000 have been canceled, affecting a population of approximately 2.4 million passengers and approximately Houston.

This is from the pre-pandemic level On the rise, airlines are flying up to 25% cheaper than 2019 (according to Flight Aware) and airfares are 45% higher (according to Hopper).

Correspondent Kris Van Cleave asked, "Isn't it an exaggeration to say that this is the fault of the airline?"

"Shared responsibilities. Airlines and airlines are team sports," said Henry Harteveldt, San Francisco's aviation industry analyst and founder of Atmosphere Research.

Regarding what went wrong this summer, Harteveldt said, "Everything didn't seem to work. One is that the airline is rehiring pilots, flight attendants and other employees. What we are working on. Two are what the FAA is still working on. We will rehire people. Three are the airlines planning a lot of flights. Four are bad weather.

"If you put it all together, it's a fragile system. There's no room for bending.

Van Cleeve said," Congress, rescue the airline so that no taxpayer is fired. What does it mean that there aren't enough people? "

" The airline has received over $ 50 billion in government subsidies to keep it running and keep people working. But in the first few months, before the subsidy was guaranteed, and seeing a 96% reduction in traffic, the airline panicked. "

This pandemic Due to the panic, the airline offered tens of thousands of employees early retirement. By December 2020, more than 3,000 pilots have acquired and the shortage of pilots is widening.

Delta Pilot marks the beginning of this holiday weekendCoast-to-coast airport picketPilot Maggie Eikov tells Van Cleeve I'm telling you. Completion is beyond our schedule. Currently, there are only no pilots to staff.

And COVID is still an unwanted passenger, resulting in higher than normal sick calls.

Captain Laura Einsetler, who has been an airline pilot for 27 years, predicts: It's just as frustrating for us as our passengers. "

" We don't want to delay the flight either, "Einsetler said. I was hoping. Currently we are doing something to make a sacrifice. For example, I fly on holidays or give up on vacation.

"CBS Sunday Morning" tried to talk to the CEOs of the four major US airlines. But I couldn't discuss the summer trip. The airline said it has already reduced 15% of its planned summer flights and is increasing employment and training to meet growing demand.

ThursdayDelta CEO Ed Bastian sent a letter to his customers apologizing for the recent delays and extensions of cancellations.

Count the Secretary of Transport Pete Butttigieg among the millions affected. What are they doing to prevent cancellation, "he told Van Cleeve. To get better.

"This is not normal," Butttigieg said. "This number of cancellations and delays is not possible and unacceptable."

"What is your message to the airline?"

"We count on you. We look forward to providing the right service for the tickets we sell, "Butigieg said. If the airline canceled the flight due to a lack of staff, it demanded a fine of up to $ 55,000 per passenger.

Van Cleeve said, "The situation is so bad that DOT needs to start clearing the airline."

"Airways failing to refund or respond to customers." We have fined the company, "said Butigieg.

"But don't cancel the flight due to staffing."

"Yes. There are other authorities we may have and we I'm going to see it, but what I'd rather like to do is get good results so that we don't even have to go there. It's clear that the aviation sector isn't ready to live up to the expectations of the public. Yes, I'm worried about it. "

Van Cleeve asked," Who's the fault? " I'm not interested in blame games. I am interested in ensuring that passengers can reach where they need it.

A record 42 million people have chosen to drive this weekend, but hitting the road can hurt their notebooks. AAA, gas prices per gallon are on average $ 1.74 higher than they were a year ago. Travel, "Why don't you fly?"

"It's too expensive," Kenny said.

And the people who spent the flight are not always happy. Airline analyst Henry Hartebert said 74% of people who flew or plan to fly regret their decision.

But he has some advice on finding a more friendly sky. Take the first flight of the morning you can take. It is least likely to be canceled or delayed.

He also told me to lighten my luggage. Checking your luggage can complicate things if you need to rebook. "If something goes wrong, calm down. But unfortunately, what you need to infer on your summer trip is that something goes wrong. If not, thank you and buy the lottery.

     
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Story Kracov by John Goodwin, Young Kim and Julie. Editor: Lauren Barnello.