INDIANAPOLIS— 48 million people are expected to travel by car and plane this July Fourth weekend according to AAA.
Of those, 42 million people will be hitting the road and 3.5 million people will be catching a flight. But people catching flights are also catching some feelings of frustration, as airlines have been struggling to keep flights on time.
"It's pretty tough,” Cody Leicht, who flies regularly for work said. “Last week I had a flight canceled and then they automatically scheduled me for a flight the next day, so I had to rearrange that way I wasn't stuck in Philly for a day."
Leicht flies from Indiana to Philadelphia once a week. He says it’s difficult to plan when you are never sure if your flight will be on time.
He isn’t alone.
Ian Blanchard is a college volleyball coach who must recruit new players throughout the summer. He has traveled for work for years and says he has never seen the airlines have this many issues.
"It affects my professional life, and you know I have a family, and wanting to get back to see your family and trying to get back to work it makes everything challenging," Blanchard said.
That's why AAA recommends preparing yourself for delays. On top of that putting safeguards in place is also a good idea.
"Before you leave for the airport make sure you've got your check-in for your flight,” Leslie Wells from AAA said. “Make sure you’re checking your airline's app right before you leave for the airport just to make sure there haven't been any changes in your flight. We also recommend working with a travel agent who can help you if one of those unfortunate situations occurs.“
Delta Airlines recently sent out information to customers stating they have hired 15,000 new employees since 2021. They are creating more digital tools to make checking on for your flight easier.
The inconveniences people have been facing are why AAA says they think more people are driving this summer rather than flying.
"Significantly more people are going to be driving this Fourth of July weekend and we think that could be in response to some of the challenges with flights,” Wells said. “People have more flexibility when driving you have a little bit more control of how and when you get to your destination. “
Both air and car travel numbers are higher than they were in 2019 according to data AAA tracks. However, if you are flying anywhere this weekend the organization recommends getting travel insurance which can help cover the cost of unforeseen losses you may have to deal with while traveling both domestically and internationally.
For more information about travel insurance click here.
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