(NewsNation) — A record number of Americans are expected to travel over the Fourth of July weekend in what will be a major test for airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after a wave of disruptions this week.
The TSA expects to screen nearly 3 million people on Friday alone, higher than the previous Independence Day peak in 2019.
But the holiday travel surge comes as the aviation sector continues to grapple with staffing issues, bad weather and a looming 5G rollout.
All of those factors could worsen delays and cancellations that have impacted hundreds of thousands of people in recent days.
United CEO points finger at FAA, air traffic control
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby blamed the FAA for disruptions last weekend and said the federal agency “failed” the airline after reducing arrival and departure rates due to severe weather.
“We estimate that over 150,000 customers on United alone were impacted [last] weekend because of FAA staffing issues and their ability to manage traffic,” Kirby said in a memo reviewed by Reuters.
Kirby pointed to the shortage of air traffic controllers in the New York City area as one of the causes.
The FAA’s air traffic control facility in New York is at just 54% of its staffing target for Certified Professional Controllers, according to a recent DOT Office of Inspector General report. The audit found that 20 out of 26 critical air traffic control facilities around the country are understaffed.
“They’re just not anywhere near where they need to be to fully staff the air traffic control towers,” Clint Henderson, managing editor at The Points Guy, said Thursday.
But Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the bulk of recent issues are unique to United.
“They were certainly hard hit by weather and staffing and air traffic control issues over last weekend — and the early days of this week — but still looking for some answers on why their outcomes were so different from the other airlines operating in the airspace,” he told Nexstar in an interview Friday.
Former acting FAA administrator and Archer Aviation Chief Safety Officer Billy Nolen said airlines are typically responsible for the majority of flight disruptions.
“Overwhelmingly the delays rest with the airlines themselves,” Nolen told NewsNation Friday. “On average, 8 to 12% of delays on any given day can be attributed to the FAA.”
As of midday Friday, 224 United flights had been canceled, the most of any airline, according to FlightAware. Although, that’s a significant improvement from Tuesday when 786 United flights were canceled.
Are thunderstorms and wildfires to blame?
Earlier this week, severe weather grounded thousands of travelers at some of the nation’s busiest airports, particularly in the Northeast. Smoke from wildfires in Canada has also caused delays and cancellations in recent weeks.
But experts say those factors don’t account for the full scope of recent disruptions.
“We’ve had thunderstorms as a normal part of business forever,” Henderson said, adding that airlines need to be better prepared to handle adverse events.
He thinks pandemic-era excuses like airline worker shortages aren’t going to cut it anymore with consumers and called for a “passenger bill of rights” to hold companies accountable.
Nolen, who spent 27 years as a commercial airline pilot, said bad weather can reduce volume and slow down operations but agreed it’s not the primary issue today.
“Overarchingly, we’ve just got more people flying,” he said. “We’re seeing numbers that we haven’t seen since before the pandemic.”
Above all, Nolen thinks airlines should be transparent with customers when they’re unable to meet the demands of their network.
5G rollout may cause disruptions
As of July 1, major wireless carriers like AT&T and Verizon will be able to boost the power of their C-Band, 5G signals. That change could disrupt flights on aircraft that lack the updated equipment needed to prevent interference, Buttigieg warned.
“About 80% of aircraft have gone through the upgrade or are qualified, but that does mean there’s still a substantial number of aircraft that haven’t had those upgrades yet,” he said.
Flights without the proper equipment will have to make sure they’re assigned to routes that don’t conflict with 5G, Buttigieg said.
The Transportation Secretary pointed out that airlines have had about 18 months to make the necessary changes but some have said supply chain issues will prevent them from hitting the deadline.
Delta Air Lines told the Associated Press about 190 of its 900 planes won’t be updated by the deadline. American, Southwest and Frontier Airlines said they have retrofitted all their planes. United Airlines expects to hit the July 1 target for all its “mainline” jets, according to AP.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has maintained that there is no risk of interference, while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has decided to take extra precautions.