Travelers arrive for flights at O’Hare Airport on May 25, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. The Transportation Security Administration reported it screened almost 9.8million peassengers from Friday through Monday, up slightly from the holiday weekend in 2019. In addition, the TSA noted that Friday’s volume of about 2.74 million screenings was a post-pandemic one-day record.
Last year, bad weather coupled with staffing shortages and other strains led to an increase in flight disruptions over the peak period. Airline executives have been upbeat about their carriers’ ability to operate reliably this summer.
The start of the peak travel season is crucial for airlines as they test travelers’ appetite to continue paying for vacations and other trips while higher interest rates and lofty food and housing costs weigh on household budgets.
Relatively clear weather helped air travel over the weekend, and 16% of flights arrived late from Friday through Monday, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking site. Delays fell from the holiday weekend last year.
Memorial Day weekend air travel bounced back from its two-year slump caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Airline stocks climbed following the news. arlier this month, travel site AAA predicted the number of fliers during the holiday would surpass that of four years ago. It noted “despite high ticket prices, demand for flights is skyrocketing.”2
