US airlines cancel another 1,400 flights Friday

(CNN) — Large flight cancellations have spilled over right into a second day after thunderstorms pounded main airports on the East Coast on Thursday.

As of 6:50 p.m. ET Friday, flight monitoring website FlightAware confirmed greater than 1,400 flights in the US had been canceled. As soon as once more, New York’s LaGuardia, Newark Liberty Worldwide and Reagan Nationwide Airport exterior Washington have been on the prime for cancellations.

On Thursday, airways canceled 1,248 flights nationwide, one of many worst days for flight cancellations of the previous six weeks. Southwest Airways canceled 370 flights, or 9% of its Thursday schedule. Southwest delayed one other 1,800 flights, 46% of its Thursday schedule.

“We’re working by way of quite a lot of weather-related challenges which might be affecting quite a few our bigger operations throughout the nation this week,” Southwest Airways stated in an announcement on Friday.

There have been greater than 6,600 reported delays in the US on Friday, in keeping with FlightAware.

Summer season of flight discontent

Airways have been battling flight cancellations and delays this summer time as they face staffing shortages, extreme climate and air site visitors management delays.

American Airways had canceled greater than 200 flights by Friday afternoon.

On Thursday, the US Transportation Safety Administration screened greater than 2.3 million passengers at airport safety checkpoints nationwide, about 87% of the identical weekday in 2019.

The US Division of Transportation on Wednesday proposed a rule that will develop the circumstances when airline passengers can get refunds.

That proposal comes amid a flood of complaints from passengers in search of refunds from airways for the reason that outset of the pandemic.

CNN’s Nicky Robertson contributed to this report.
Prime picture: Planes on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport in New York on August 2, 2021. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg/Getty Pictures)