Hundreds of flights cancelled in the U.S. for second consecutive day

U.S. airlines canceled hundreds of flights Friday for the second straight day as they try to recover from recent storms while welcoming growing crowds of summer passengers.

By midmorning in the eastern United States, airlines had canceled more than 1,000 flights, after canceling 1,700 on Thursday, according to the FlightAware monitoring service.

→ Gatwick Airport reduces summer flights due to staff shortages.

The airports with the most cancellations were Charlotte, North Carolina “a major hub for American Airlines”; LaGuardia and Newark Liberty in the New York area; and Reagan Washington National outside the U.S. capital, AP reported.

On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg held a virtual meeting with airline CEOs to review steps airlines are taking to operate smoothly over the July 4 holiday and the rest of the summer and to improve service to passengers stranded by canceled flights.

→ Lufthansa and Eurowings cancel hundreds of flights in July due to staff shortages.

Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, which usually kicks off the summer season, airlines suffered problems with storms and shortages of workers, especially pilots, leading to cancellations.

So far in June, more than 2.2 million passengers per day have passed through U.S. airports on average. That’s down 13% from the same period last year.