Ever since the start of the pandemic, the “new normal” for travel has been a roller coaster.
Airline companies were forced to shut down for fear of killing passengers with one violent sneeze and airports all over the United States looked like ghost towns.
But now that airlines are running at full capacity again and the government has loosened the reins on travel mandates, airports are proving incapable of managing the high volume of travelers this summer – making the mask mandate one of the least of your worries.
People all over the nation have been waiting a long time to take their summer vacations without the oppressive mandates.
And now that things are looking a little bit brighter, they just can’t pack their bags fast enough.
The problem is – everyone had the same idea!
In Dublin, over 1,000 travelers missed their flights due to long lines and wait times. The local government stepped in and told the CEO of Dublin Airport to come up with a solution – quick.
Well, money talks, and the CEO appeased angry customers by pledging to reimburse them for all “out of pocket expenses” from missed flights, according to CNN.
In the Netherlands, their official airline carrier, KLM, had to shut down all ticket purchases for four days in order to regain control of its base airport in Schiphol.
And in the UK, airports in Manchester, Heathrow, and Gatwick have been overwhelmed with “lines snaking out of buildings, missing bags and hundreds of canceled flights, particularly by British Airways, EasyJet and Tui,” CNN reports.
As Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary intimated to ITV, the UK should just go ahead and “bring in the army.”
And if you think this problem is only happening across the pond – think again.
Delta Airlines had to cancel flights over Memorial Day Weekend – 100 flights PER DAY, in fact – in order to “minimize disruptions” for the rest of the summer.
JetBlue and Alaska Airlines are taking similar precautions by cutting their flights by 10% and 2%, respectively, in hopes of keeping their summer flight schedules running smoothly and passengers happy.
But none of this should really be a surprise – experts started predicting we’d see this level of chaos months ago. And they were right.
Consumer advocate Cristopher Elliot told CNN, “This is going pretty much like I thought it would… and I think it’s going to get worse.”
“I think this is just the opening act for what will be a crazy summer.”
As Proud American Traveler previously warned, understaffed airlines and ill-prepared airports have caused travel chaos everywhere – and that was before Biden said he wanted the airlines to cancel summer travel!
I bet the family lake house is starting to sound like a tempting option – even with its musky smell and rotting pier.
But don’t worry… your summer plans aren’t thwarted yet.
You can avoid a lot of the stress and anxiety by planning your trip for the end of summer when travel has died down a bit, or book your flight for a Tuesday or Wednesday and in the middle of the day when it’s the quietest time to fly, reports SimpleFlying,.
Or maybe avoid the air completely and book a cruise – which are being offered at competitive rates.
When it comes to summer travel, things are crazy enough before you even leave the house.
Between making sure the kids packed more than just a few t-shirts and a pair of socks, or the “are-we-there-yets” before you’ve even left the runway, you don’t need to add to the stress by getting caught up in the worst chaos airports have ever seen – so let Proud American Traveler guide you through a smooth summer of fun.
