Airlines across the United States have experienced flight delays making travelers frustrated. According to ABC News, recent traveling delays have happened because of, “severe weather, the busy summer travel season, and FAA Air Traffic Control restrictions.” These issues have had a major impact on flights, because “airlines on the East Coast canceled more than 1700 flights on Thursday and more than 1400 on Friday.”
Due to all of these reasons combined, air travel has become difficult for people, making spring break for students and families more tricky.
Flight delays are becoming increasingly common for travelers, and while many are caused by unavoidable factors, the way airlines have been handling them adds frustration. Claire Hardy, a Junior at Skyline who traveled to New York over spring break on Southwest Airlines, experienced a flight delay on her return trip in Chicago’s Midway Airport. She said, “Our layover there was originally scheduled to last about two hours. It ended up, I think, being three, three and a half, because the flight got delayed.”
Though the delay was not extreme, the timing made it more difficult. Hardy said that the delayed flight made getting picked up by her friend at the Salt Lake City Airport (SLC) harder. She said, “We were supposed to land at, like, 12:00 a.m.,” but because they were not able to communicate the delay, “he came probably at 11:50, and we didn’t land… until probably about one, 1:15-ish.” As a result, “he had been waiting at the airport for a good amount of time.” These flight delays can be quite aggravating for those getting picked up from the airport.
Kaitlinn Benson, a Junior at Utah State University, said that she was supposed to have lunch at noon with her friend, who was coming back from Pennsylvania. Benson said, “She didn’t get back until around 9:00 at night, making it so we couldn’t go to lunch.”
Hardy acknowledged that her flight delay was not that big, but she believed that it could have been handled better. “I think just a bit more transparency would have improved the experience,” she said.
While factors like weather and staffing shortages can be out of airlines’s control, their communication is not. By keeping passengers informed about what is going on, it can make the whole process more enjoyable for both the workers and the customers. Benson believes, “By making sure everyone understands what is happening, flights can go so much better for those flying and those picking them up, and also for everyone all around.”
