travel

Airlines say staffing shortages and winter weather are contributing to cancellations.

With Christmas and the new year upon us, air travel has gone up in comparison to last year. Both airports and airlines based in North Texas are getting prepared for a surge in holiday travel.

Airlines are having trouble hiring pilots, flight attendants and other personnel, which might be causing canceled flights and scrapping of service to some airports, executives told legislators on Wednesday.

In 2019, a record 9.3 million Texans traveled for the year-end holidays. While this year’s travel volume will not yet reach that level, it’s still expected to be a big jump from 2020 numbers.

While the predicted travel volume in Texas is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels, it’s close to what it was in 2019. That includes travel by car, plane, bus, train, and cruise ship.

Millions of Americans are returning to the skies this holiday season. Crowded airports, staffing shortages, bad weather and disruptive passengers all could make the experience miserable.

President Biden said "if you break the rules, be prepared to pay." He called the harassment aimed at airline employees over masks "wrong" and "ugly."

Travelers have faced long delays and cancellations this week at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Numerous issues like severe weather and logistical issues are slowing down summer travel.

The pent-up demand for passports has swelled wait times to between 12 and 18 weeks, according to the State Department. That’s caused many like Johnson to seek expedited appointments at understaffed passport offices. Those now take up to 12 weeks.

American Airlines employees are speaking up about not getting adequate lodging in between flights. Pilots and flight attendant unions have taken their concerns public.

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both posted second-quarter profits on Thursday thanks to generous federal pandemic relief that covers most of their labor costs.

American Airlines is canceling extended leaves for about 3,300 flight attendants and telling them to come back to work in time for the holiday season.