Flights spike ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg warned travelers to leave plenty of time at airports ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 11 (UPI) — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Thursday is supposed to be the busiest travel day heading into the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Buttigieg advised travelers in a post on X. to leave plenty of time and check out passenger protection information at the nation’s airports. Advertisement
He also shared a graph, which shows flights were expected to peak Thursday with 46,288 trips. That number is expected to dip to a little over 45,000 flights Friday and 34,500 Saturday before climbing back up after the holiday Tuesday.
There were 13,341 flights that were delayed as of 2 p.m. EST Thursday in addition to 1,062 cancellations, according to FlightAware.com.
Nationwide, United Airlines led the carriers with the most cancellations, 194, with 137 delays. Alaska Airlines came in second with 158 canceled flights. Seattle’s Tacoma International Airport had the heaviest back-up with 52 cancellations and 40 delayed flights.
We’re expecting today will be the busiest day for air travel for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. Give yourself plenty of time and check out passenger protection info at https://t.co/fNoKsjoNQV. pic.twitter.com/sNg6kjUxzi— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) January 11, 2024 Advertisement
Scattered snow is set to begin in the upper Northwest and spread through the center of the country before settling in and around areas of Illinois, Kansas and Michigan, according to Weather.com.
Forecasters said the combination of heavy snow and strong winds will reduce visibility and make for dangerous travel conditions.
A winter storm is expected to move from the West midweek into the Great Lakes and southeastern Canada this weekend.