US Airlines Maintain Low Flight Cancellation Rate

U.S. airlines have recorded a flight cancellation rate of 1.6% this year, which, while slightly above the 1.5% from 2023, remains lower than any year since 2017. This achievement comes despite significant disruptions in July, primarily caused by a system outage linked to cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which resulted in Delta Air Lines canceling around 7,000 flights. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported record-high air travel this summer, with expectations to screen about 17 million passengers during the upcoming Labor Day travel period, an increase of 8.5% from last year. Additionally, July 7 marked a milestone as over 3 million travelers were screened in a single day. Airlines have been preparing for continued passenger demand as the summer travel season concludes, maintaining a robust operational capacity. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has urged airlines to uphold their responsibilities to passengers amidst these disruptions.