Travel chaos deepens

Cancelations and staff shortages are wreaking havoc on both sides of the Atlantic.  

‘Revenge travel’ 

Heard the term before? We’re not sure it’s ever been needed before. With so many of us held back from those well-earned vacations for so long, we’ve taken to the air with vengeance. Well… We were planning to, at least.  

The sheer volume of travelers, the frequency of vacations, and the overwhelmed airlines and airports are creating a wave of flight cancellations, grounding us all over again. Since last Thursday, more than 19,000 flights have been delayed or canceled. Maybe staycations will still be the hype this year, too.  

Let’s fly away 

And it’s not just the US having trouble getting people back into the skies. The same problems have been having a huge impact on British aviation too. Major airports in London are canceling multiple flights each day, sometimes with next to zero warning. Pilot shortages, fuel prices and systemic levels of understaffing that are leading to these issues, and there are questions around whether the airlines get it together in time for vacation season.

And if British flights are bad, wait till you hear about rail. Turns out it’s not just the US that’s in for a long, hot summer of union activity. This week, almost all the major rail providers in the UK are going on strike, grinding rail travel to an almost complete hard stop. They’re being joined by Underground workers who will also be walking out. So good luck getting around London this week!

So with airlines on their knees, and rail and Underground workers walking out, traffic on Britain’s roads is backing up. Congestion on roads is already causing chaos, and with more days of strikes ahead, there are set to be major delays to deliveries. So, any business needing an urgent top-up of goods, foods, or products can expect things to get to them just a little bit later than normal.

We might already be approaching mid-summer, but it looks like travel problems are snowballing on both sides of the Atlantic. From flights to rail to who-knows-what next, it’s going to be a difficult summer for travelers.