Headed to the airport? Expect to run into some issues (and we’re not talking about Skymall Magazine)

Today is projected to be the busiest day at US airports since before the Covid pandemic, with an estimated 2.8 million travelers.

And if the past week of mass flight delays and cancellations – 20,000 and 5,000, respectively – is any indication, it’s also gearing up to be a record day for high tempers and levels of irritation.

✈️ Driving the problem... A combination of bad weather and staffing shortages, which have airlines and the FAA pointing fingers of blame at each other like the famous Spider-Man meme.

• Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, which has had the most cancellations, blamed FAA staffing issues. Which has some merit. A recent audit of the FAA found that 77% of critical air traffic control towers are staffed below the agency’s 85% threshold. And some facilities, like New York and Miami, are staffed so low it “poses a risk to the continuity of air traffic operations.”
• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, on the other hand, pointed right back at United in TV interviews this week. Which also has some merit. The WSJ reports the carrier’s own internal systems only exacerbated problems, with flight attendants having to wait hours on hold to receive new flight assignments.

⛈💨📡 Issues are expected to continue. Smoke from Canadian wildfires and thunderstorms in the Midwest could pose a challenge for air travel this weekend, per the National Weather Service. And that’s not all. Beginning Saturday, a new 5G service is expected to cause more delays and cancellations, since planes without updated equipment might experience interference from wireless transmissions.