MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - Weather, staffing shortages and more have led to many flight frustrations throughout the country, and South Florida airports are not exception.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, officials at Miami International Airport said they expect to see a heavy volume of travelers throughout Fourth of July weekend.
“We are seeing 145,000 travelers per day right now in MIA,” said MIA Communications Director Greg Chin.
MIA officials said the expected spike in passengers comes as the airport continues to see record highs this year. At the end of June, the airport is said to have already up 20,000 passengers from this time last year.
“That’s 15%, we have about 100 more flights per day,” said Chin.
With the sudden surge, officials warn, travel may be a rough experience before taking off.
“Your flight may change, the timing may change,” said Chin. “We are seeing flights being impacted by summer weather, thunderstorms. Airlines have been having staffing shortages in the last few months, which has been well documented. We’re aware of that, so because of those things, you want to be checking your flight time before coming to the airport.”
Over the weekend, more than 3,200 flights were cancelled nationwide, and about 9,000 were delayed.
“Our flights were cancelled yesterday evening,” said Raquel.
Raquel has been trying to get back to Barbados, following her honeymoon. She said her flight home was cancelled twice, both times she was told while sitting on the airplane.
“We tried the option of other airlines, we tried the option of other flights,” she said. “We even tried the standby option, and even that is not guaranteed because of all of the flights that were pushed back before. There’s a back log as it relates to standby.”
Travel experts have offered a few tips for travelers:
- Book nonstop flights.
- Use websites like FlightAware, to track cancellations.
- Book flights early in the morning, because they are less likely to be cancelled.
Experts said they expect the parking garages to max out, so travelers ought to consider taking a rideshare or have someone drop them off. They also advise travelers to check in for flights before coming to the airport and using the kiosk and booking.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.