Fourth of July revelers take to the skies and roadways as holiday winds down

With the Fourth of July holiday weekend wrapping up tonight some people will be heading home on the roads and in the skies.

News 12 Staff

Jul 4, 2022, 9:20 PM

Updated 825 days ago

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With the Fourth of July holiday weekend wrapping up tonight some people will be heading home on the roads and in the skies.
It seems like it's always busy at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Fourth of July Monday was no different. But would travelers see delays and even canceled flights on this Independence Day?
Some travelers had already received the warnings from their airlines.
"I was scared that they're just delaying and delaying it," said Christina Colon, of Ardsley. She said her son's flight to Florida was delayed 2 hours. She was hoping he would get aboard at some point.
Air travel this summer has been hit hard with delays and cancellations. The airlines blame overwhelming demand, weather issues and staffing problems.
By 4 p.m. Monday Flight Aware was tracking at JFK 136 delays and 15 canceled flights.
At near by LaGuardia, there were 107 Delays and 10 Cancellations.
Long Island's MacArthur Airport was faring much better with no delays or cancellations.
Travel agent Matthew Kondrup, from Matty K travel, said he was working all weekend to keep his clients moving around the world smoothly.
On Friday the TSA, said nearly 2.5 million passengers passed through checkpoints -- the busiest day since the pandemic. Then over the weekend, the numbers dipped to just over 2 million a day.
AAA predicted Monday would see similar light numbers, but some experts predict another surge on Tuesday.
Kondrup said troubles at the airport will continue through the summer.
"Expect to be delayed, prepare for that, pack some snacks, pack an extra day of clothes, bring a change of clothes and your medicine in a carry on, make sure you're prepared," Kondrup advised.
Some travelers, however, weren't concerned about the challenges at the airports.
Ronan Nangle and his family arrived from, Cork, Ireland, without incident.
"Smooth flight, everything went well. We landed early and bags were a little late but apart from that, everything went perfectly," Nangle said.
Many airlines preemptively offered free flight changes.
Experts say morning flights are usually better than afternoon or evening ones, which tend to see more delays and cancellations.