Philadelphia Airport braces for busy Labor Day weekend
Labor Day weekend travel is returning to near pre-pandemic levels. But there could be flight cancellations as airlines continue to struggle with staffing shortages.
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The Labor Day weekend is shaping up to be a hectic and potentially panic-inducing time for travel at the Philadelphia International Airport, as the airport vies with travel returning to near pre-pandemic levels and the possibility of flight cancellations.
The holiday weekend is expected to be very busy, the airport said in a statement, estimating that about 481,000 travelers will be arriving at and departing from the airport. The airport expects the number of travelers to be 17% higher than last year’s Labor Day weekend and 16% lower than Labor Day weekend in 2019.
Peak travel days are expected to be Thursday, Friday, and Monday.
Since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, air travel has steadily gone back up, with more than 200 million American adults expected to take at least one vacation this summer, according to national surveys. That’s about 35 million more travelers than in summer 2021.
But, as more people are traveling, airlines — dealing with staff and resource shortages — have canceled flights en masse across the country. In June, it was reported that American Airlines would cancel more than 1,800 domestic flights in September and October at Philadelphia International Airport, where it is the dominant carrier.
American plans to cut 1,121 domestic flights from this month’s schedule alone. The cuts for this month and next are the largest of any airport served by American Airlines, the country’s largest airline.
With heavy travel and fewer flights, the airport and federal travel officials have offered resources to help people manage the turmoil.
Anticipating travelers dealing with flight rescheduling, delays, and cancellations, the U.S. Department of Transportation created a dashboard to provide people with information about which airlines provide resources in the event of a cancellation or a delay, specifically if it’s within the airline’s control.
And the airport, in a travel advisory, suggested tips that include taking alternative methods to get to the airport, checking on parking ahead of time, arriving three hours early, and using TSA pre-check.