{"id":243997,"date":"2026-06-03T12:03:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/tips-for-summer-travel-after-flight-cancellations-hit-3-year-high-the-points-guy\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T12:03:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:03:54","slug":"tips-for-summer-travel-after-flight-cancellations-hit-3-year-high-the-points-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/tips-for-summer-travel-after-flight-cancellations-hit-3-year-high-the-points-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for summer travel after flight cancellations hit 3-year high – The Points Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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For travelers, 2025 wasn’t exactly smooth-sailing at airports.<\/p>\n

Across the country, flight cancellations climbed to the highest level in three years, as Mother Nature \u2014 and Congress<\/a><\/span> \u2014 dealt airlines and their passengers a one-two punch of travel woes.<\/p>\n

So far, 2026 has offered a bit of a headache of its own.<\/p>\n

Flight cancellations are up<\/h2>\n

According to TPG’s Best Airlines Report<\/a><\/span> unveiled on Wednesday, flight cancellations last year surged nearly 15% versus 2024, as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n

A big reason for the downturn: the government shutdown last fall, at the time the longest in history, during which airlines were required<\/em> to cut flights<\/a><\/span> at dozens of the nation’s busiest hubs, amid a critical air traffic control staffing crunch.<\/p>\n

But the numbers aren’t looking great this year, either.<\/p>\n

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Travelers check-in via kiosks at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). ELIJAH NOUVELAGE\/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cancellation rate elevated in 2026<\/h3>\n

Through March, U.S. airlines had canceled roughly 3.4% of all departures, according to DOT data reviewed by TPG.<\/p>\n

If that pace of cancellations continued, 2026 would wind up being easily the worst year for shuttered flights since 2022, when airline meltdowns were pervasive<\/a><\/span> as travel roared back in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Even some of the nation’s most historically reliable airlines haven’t been immune.<\/p>\n

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Delta: Strong 2025, but tough start to 2026<\/h3>\n

Delta Air Lines on Wednesday finished first in TPG’s Best Airlines rankings for the eighth straight year. It was thanks, in no small part, to its strong operational performance in 2025, typically a hallmark for the Atlanta-based carrier.<\/p>\n

But 2026 has been a different story.<\/p>\n

But a quarter of the way through this year, Delta’s flight cancellation rate ranked an uncharacteristic sixth<\/i> in the airline industry, per DOT data, which showed Delta has lagged historically weaker competitors \u2014 even perpetual last-place finisher Frontier Airlines.<\/p>\n

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A Delta Air Lines regional jet at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA). SEAN CUDAHY\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last week, the Wall Street Journal<\/i> reported<\/a><\/span> the airline was working to shore up its operations and staffing ahead of the summer rush.<\/p>\n

Plenty of curveballs<\/h3>\n

The airline industry (and travelers by extension) have faced plenty of curveballs this year, though \u2014 from an uncertain geopolitical landscape<\/a><\/span> to a handful of punishing winter storms<\/a><\/span> in January, which hit top Delta and American Airlines hubs especially hard.<\/p>\n

With summer now upon us, travelers can only hope to avoid the usual waves of pesky summer thunderstorms, which regularly threaten to snarl air traffic at major hubs this time of year.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, here are some top things to know \u2014 and ways to prepare \u2014 as you head to the airport this summer.<\/p>\n

Which US airlines are most reliable?<\/h2>\n

Based on 2025 data outlined in TPG’s Best Airlines Report, three carriers clearly<\/i> outpaced the rest of the industry when it came to key metrics like on-time performance, cancellations, baggage handling and involuntary bumps.<\/p>\n