ATLANTA — Thousands of flight cancellations and delays Sunday caused headaches for travelers this Memorial Day weekend. Almost 4,000 flights were also cancelled Friday and Saturday.
The north and south parking lots were full at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Sunday, so passengers had to park their vehicles in other lots.
Inside the terminal wasn't much better with the words "delayed" and "cancelled" all over the flight boards.
“We were on all pace to make it here on time to catch the plane, and 10 minutes from the airport we find out that the flight got delayed," Chimy Bukasa said.
Bukasa and his friends found themselves with a four-hour flight delay in Atlanta. This caused some anxiety about having enough time to make their connecting flight to Toronto.
“Now instead of having a two or three-hour buffer, it’s a buffer of 45 minutes," Bukasa said.
He isn't alone. Travelers waited in long lines at security and check in Sunday evening at Hartsfield-Jackson.
“JetBlue is cutting 10% of their flights. Alaska Airlines cutting 2% of their flights," aviation expert Alan Armstrong said.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines will cancel 100 flights a day in July and August.
Armstrong believes one main thing is to blame for the cancellations and delays.
“I think if we're going to look for one single cause, we would look upon this as the after effects of COVID, because we basically shut down the industry in large measure," Armstrong said. "Then a lot of pilots and flight attendants took early retirement because the airlines didn't need them.”
Armstrong has some advice for people flying during the Memorial Day holiday and throughout the summer.
“Get there early. Be flexible. Be prepared to change your plans. I mean, just be flexible in trying out this," Armstrong said. "I would say then be patient. You know, chill.”
“I guess it’s better for the flight to be delayed to accommodate all the extra people and process everyone through than having the flight leave early without people being processed," Bukasa said.
The flight-track website FlightAware reports more than 4,500 flights in the United States were cancelled Sunday.
Armstrong believes the delays and cancellations will take a while to improve.
"It's not just pilots. It's not just flight attendants. It's not just mechanics," Armstrong said. "It's the instructors who train these people to fly the airplanes. If you hire new pilots, they're not going to fly for a couple of months, and you've got to train them."
Armstrong added training facilities are backed up by about 70% to train pilots.