Why are so many flights being cancelled right now?

Inefficient scheduling, miscommunication, and staffing shortages all contributed to the mass cancellations. “During the pandemic, a lot of airlines gave buyouts to some of these older pilots,” explains Nastro, reducing their labor costs, but creating a dearth of experienced staffers just as travel ramped back up.



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While the number of people boarding planes has risen to record levels only seen just before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of pilots, mechanics and air traffic controllers working to move all those passengers and planes isn't keeping up with that demand.

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Frontier Airlines has had the worst on-time arrival performance so far in 2023. Just 65.41% of Frontier flights arrived on time from January through April 2023.

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Perhaps even more significant is the stark drop over the past year. August 2023 U.S. airfares averaged 13% lower than what they were in August 2022. Things get especially interesting when compared to pre-pandemic prices.

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Domestic airline prices are on the decline in 2023, finally retreating after spiking just a year ago. International fares are still high. After soaring in 2022, prices for domestic airline tickets are on the descent.

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U.S. Airports with Lowest Percentage of Flight Cancellations in 2023
  • CHS - .88% Charleston International.
  • CLT - .89% Charlotte Douglas International.
  • PHL - .89% Philadelphia International.
  • ORF - .90% Norfolk International.
  • ATL - .94% Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International.
  • LIH - .94% Lihue Airport Kauai.


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Of the UK's major airports, Heathrow was the best for sidestepping delays and keeping passengers on time: 50.4 per cent of departures took off punctually, and 56.3 per cent of arrivals, for an overall average of 53.3 per cent.

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A separate report from passenger compensation specialist AirHelp identified London Gatwick as the worst European airport for delays and cancellations in June, when services across the continent were affected by staffing levels, industrial action and the ramping up of summer schedules.

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London Gatwick (LGW) This makes Gatwick the airport where you are most likely to be inconvenienced by delays and cancellations in Europe.

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While the number of people boarding planes has risen to record levels only seen just before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of pilots, mechanics and air traffic controllers working to move all those passengers and planes isn't keeping up with that demand.

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Crosswinds greater than 50-60 km/h may cause airlines to delay or cancel flights. Even lower gusts can trigger flight delays or cancellations if the runways are wet or icy, as stiff winds can reduce a plane's ability to brake on the runway.

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The most unreliable airlines in the United Kingdom easyJet received 10,494 complaints over a 12-month period and only managed to resolve 54% of them. The second most unreliable airline was another one with its headquarters at Luton Airport: TUI, the UK subsidiary of the German TUI Group.

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George Best Belfast City Airport. Belfast City Airport has been named as the “UK's Most Punctual Airport” in the first quarter of 2023. The travel hub has been recognised for being on time based on new data released by the Civil Aviation Authority.

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BTS data from July 2021 to June 2022 shows Hawaiian performed best of all U.S. airlines with just a 0.81% cancellation rate. Delta took second place again — with a cancellation rate of 1.63%. Meanwhile, merger partners JetBlue (3.81%) and Spirit Airlines (4.11%) canceled the highest percentage of all flights.

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According to data gathered by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the best time to fly is between 6 and 7 a.m. Flights with scheduled departures in that timeframe arrived just 8.6 minutes late, on average. Meanwhile, flights that take off before 6—or between 7 and 8 in the morning—are fairly punctual, too.

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Finding the cheapest day to fly usually falls mid week on Wednesdays, but can just as easily fall on any other day of the week based on demand. Time of year also is a huge factor on ticket prices, as traveling during low or off peak seasons will see prices drop for flights.

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Those who buy on Sunday instead of Friday (the most expensive day to shop for plane tickets) will save on average 17% on domestic flights and 24% on international ones.

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Time your booking right “For domestic flights, if you're talking peak season, it's about three to seven months in advance,” he says. “For international flights — [it's] four to 10 months.”

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