(NEXSTAR) – With Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer behind us, travelers across the country are busy planning vacations, despite the skyrocketing cost of gas and eye-watering flight prices.
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National parks and theme parks dominate the top five, according to Google:
1. Yellowstone National Park
Old Faithful geyser erupts in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming on June 11, 2019. – Old Faithful has erupted every 44 to 125 minutes since 2000. (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)
2. Glacier National Park
The mountain range and forest that surrounds Grinnell Glacier Lake in Montana’s Glacier National Park. (File/Getty)
3. Disney World
In this handout photo provided by Disney Parks, a view of fireworks, holiday lights and fanfare at Cinderella’s Castle during a taping of Disney Parks Presents a Disney Channel Holiday Celebration at Walt Disney World Resort on November 05, 2017 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Todd Anderson/Disney Parks via Getty Images)
4. Lake Tahoe
A file photo shows a white sand beach around Lake Tahoe in the Serra Nevada Mountains, which straddle the border of California and Nevada. (Getty)
5. Hersheypark
A view of an immersive amusement park experience with Pepsi Pop Star at Hersheypark on July 28, 2021 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images for Pepsi)
Holiday weekend travel brings crowds, delays
If Memorial Day weekend itself was any sign of what’s to come for the summer of 2022, travel insurance might be worth considering.
U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,800 flights from Thursday through Monday, or about 2% of their schedules, according to tracking service FlightAware.
Delta Air Lines, usually among the top performers, had the worst record among major carriers with more than 800 canceled flights over the five-day span.
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“This was a chance for airlines to show that last summer’s delays would not be repeated this summer, and yet, it was not to be,” said Helane Becker, an analyst for banking firm Cowen. She blamed the disruptions on bad weather, air traffic control delays, airline crew members calling in sick, and long security lines at some airports.
“We expect a busy summer, and are concerned about the industry’s ability to handle the demand,” Becker said.
Various forecasts of high numbers of travelers over the weekend proved to be accurate. The Transportation Security Administration reported screening more than 11 million people at airport checkpoints from Thursday through Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
