06/29/2023

The July 4 Travel Rush Will Test the Fragile Flight System

Meanwhile, United’s woes enter their fifth day

Record numbers of travelers were expected to take to the skies, roads and rails Thursday — an early start to the Fourth of July holiday that will test a system strained by staffing shortages and challenged by the unpredictability of weather and wildfire smoke.

AAA is predicting the long holiday weekend will surpass the previous record for Fourth of July travel, set in 2019, with more than 50.7 million people expected to travel more than 50 miles from home, up from 49 million before the global pandemic began.

"We've never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend," said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of travel at AAA Travel.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.