PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — High gas prices and inflation aren’t stopping people from traveling for the Fourth of July.
Philadelphia International Airport officials say travel is up compared to the same time a year ago. Friday is expected to be the busiest day of the holiday weekend, with 89,000 people anticipated to filter through.
In the early-morning hours on Friday, a Thanksgiving-like wait of people clustered at Terminals D and E security checkpoints. The line snaked through the halls and stretched along the moving walkway. Screens listed estimated wait times of up to 30 minutes to get through TSA screenings.
Cancelations and delays have been a concern for the weekend, especially since the Memorial Day travel period. According to Flight Aware, more than 21,000 flights have been canceled in the U.S. since then.
Already, within a 24-hour period between Thursday and Friday, more than 30 flights were canceled and many more delayed, according to FlightAware.
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American Airlines canceled 8% of its U.S. flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, and United Airlines scrubbed 4% of its schedule both days, according to FlightAware.
“I was supposed to fly out yesterday and it got canceled,” said Lilly of Philadelphia, who was traveling back to her hometown of Kansas City. “So I’m a little anxious about what’s gonna happen today.”
Airlines have been caught short-staffed as they try to hire thousands of workers, including pilots, to replace those who they encouraged to quit when the pandemic caused air travel to plummet.
Airport officials expect 414,000 people to fly to and from Philadelphia International Airport during the holiday period, from June 30 to July 6. That is up 9% compared to the same time last year, though down 16% compared to 2019.
Overall, many more people are expected to hit the road even though gas prices are up nearly $2 a gallon compared to a year ago. Half a million Philadelphia-area residents — 89% of local holiday travelers — are expected to drive to their destination, according to projections by AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Vehicle traffic is also expected to be more than double regular patterns at peak times.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.