TAMPA, Fla. — As airports across the county experience thousands of travel delays, Tampa International Airport is seeing minor disruptions to flights, with an estimated 80,000 travelers passing through this 4th of July weekend.
Delays reached 24% inbound and outbound at Tampa International Airport (TPA) Thursday. Friday evening, 21%, or 67 flights, inbound and 18%, or 59 flights, outbound were delayed, according to FlightAware.
While it seems like a lot, it's less than many other airports across the country, some with nearly half of flights delayed or canceled. Airports most impacted Thursday and Friday are Chicago O’hare, Newark, Houston, and Denver International.
The Denver airport tweeted Friday afternoon, "Flights may experience delays of up to two hours due to thunderstorms in the area."
Travel alerts on the United Airlines website state severe weather in Chicago and Denver on June 28 and 29.
In addition to severe weather, airlines are also struggling with staffing issues after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When something like this happens, it's really a test to see how the airlines can operate when they get when they come in contact with an unpreventable scenario like Mother Nature, and with major hubs affected, it kind of causes a domino effect,” said Katy Nastro, a travel expert with Going.com.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg tweeted Friday morning:
“Yesterday, cancellation rates continued to fall as the airspace recovers from severe weather. United's disruptions are elevated but moving in the right direction. FAA continues to monitor weather and smoke and is engaged closely with airlines to address potential disruptions.”
About 50% of United operations in Tampa were delayed Friday at 18 flights by 7 p.m.
According to Flight Aware, 161 flights at Tampa International were delayed or canceled Thursday and as of 7 p.m. Friday -- 126 flights.
Nastro recommends those planning to fly this summer book direct flights that leave in the morning. That way, there’s less chance of severe weather and missing a connection, and your flight will likely already be at the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration told ABC Action News that they are making changes to try and help airlines with summer travel.
An FAA spokesperson told us in an email statement:
“The FAA is taking several steps to keep air travel safe and smooth this summer.
Urging Airlines to Fly Larger Aircraft Into NYC Airports
· The FAA gave airlines flexibility on slot usage requirements at the three New York City airports to match traffic with the number of air traffic controllers at a key facility.
· The airlines will now have around 2 percent more seats after the agency urged them to use larger aircraft.
Optimizing Airspace Around Commercial Space Launch Sites
· Due to the increasing pace of space activity, the FAA took steps to optimize and equitably manage the airspace in the vicinity of launch sites.
· The agency now uses a set of objective factors to better balance the needs of launch licensees, as well as airlines, general aviation and the military to minimize disruptions.
Activating 169 New, More Direct Routes Along the East Coast
· The FAA has activated 169 new routes along the East Coast that are more direct, saving passengers time, airlines fuel and increasing safety.
· The new routes operate primarily above 18,000 feet in altitude along the East Coast, as well as offshore over the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
· The FAA sunset legacy routes built when aircraft largely relied on ground-based radar, limiting the directness of routes, instead of GPS.”
