Many air travelers suffered another frustrating weekend due to flight cancellations and delays, FlightAware data showed.
More than 1,600 flights within, into, or out of the United States were canceled Saturday (nearly 660) and Sunday (950).
Monday was shaping up to be another disaster for flights: As of 11 a.m. ET Monday, 472 flights had been canceled for the day, FlightAware said.
Delayed flights also were a major issue.
Saturday's delays climbed to nearly 7,250 within, into, or out of the United States, according to FlightAware. Sunday produced 8,140 delays.
As of 11 a.m. ET Monday, 1,760 flights had been delayed for the day, FlightAware said.
The three airports with the most-canceled and most-delayed flights on Sunday were Newark Liberty International, Chicago Midway International Airport, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport, according to FlightAware.
Southwest Airlines and United Airlines topped the list of cancellations and delays for major domestic operators.
Southwest canceled approximately 4% of its flights and delayed 38% of its flights on Sunday, according to FlightAware. United canceled 3% and delayed 34% of its flights.
On Wednesday, the Transportation Department proposed new rules to strengthen airline passenger protection and require airlines to provide vouchers that do not expire when passengers are unable to fly for certain pandemic-related reasons.
The proposed rules come amid a growing push by lawmakers who have urged Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to take a tougher stance after airlines this summer have canceled tens of thousands of flights.
Early last month, a senior United Airlines executive said the U.S. aviation system was expected to "remain challenged this summer and beyond" and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) needs more air traffic control staff.
"The reality is that there are just more flights scheduled industrywide than the (air traffic control) staffing system can handle," United's chief operations officer, Jon Roitman, said in a message to staff seen by Reuters.
Between 2011 and 2019, flight cancellations remained between 1.1% and 1.8%, according to FlightAware.
After the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, the percentage of flights canceled spiked at 5%.
In 2021, that percentage settled at 1.6% after COVID vaccines became available.
Reuters contributed to this story.
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