The US flight cancellation rate is below pre-pandemic levels at 1.6%, according to transportation authorities

1 of 2 | The U.S. Department of Transportation said Thursday that the flight cancellation rate so far this year is 1.6 percent, below pre-pandemic levels, heading into the Labor Day weekend. File photo by Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE

According to the Department of Transportation, the summer of 2024 saw the highest volume of air travel ever recorded in the United States. Air travel averaged 2.7 million people per day.

“The Transportation Security Administration has now screened 239.8 million people since Memorial Day weekend, an average of 2.7 million per day,” the DOT statement said. “The 10 busiest days in the agency’s history have all occurred this year since May 2024, and a new milestone was reached on July 7, when more than 3 million people were screened in a single day for the first time.”

At the height of the pandemic in 2020, 7.2% of flights were canceled, according to the DOT.

Following CrowdStrike’s transportation service disruption, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned airlines that they have legal responsibilities to passengers during flight disruptions.

Airlines must clearly inform passengers about their refund rights and must automatically pay cash refunds instead of vouchers or credits when flights are cancelled or disrupted.

Airlines must also make it easy for passengers to arrange free rebookings, hotels, meals and/or transportation to and from hotels if the disruptions are caused by an airline problem.

The DOT said a new Biden-Harris administration rule also requires airlines to fully disclose junk fares and bans “bait-and-switch” advertising tactics.

Buttigieg shared a video on X with tips for air travel ahead of Labor Day weekend.

“We expect record air travel numbers as we head into Labor Day weekend,” Buttigieg wrote in X. “Here are some simple but important things to remember if you’re traveling soon. Happy travels!”

In August 2023, the DOT reported that flight cancellations decreased slightly as global air travel figures returned to pre-pandemic levels.