SAN DIEGO — Lauren and Joey Mushkin visit Coronado from Las Vegas every Fourth of July. But this year, they weren’t sure how their travel here would be.
Lauren said, “I for sure thought we were missing the flight. We got there and it was really smooth. We got right on. There were not any delays.”
But they’re the lucky ones. CBS 8 tracked delays at San Diego International Airport.
The delays ranged from 15 minutes out of Detroit to more than five hours coming on a flight from Salt Lake City.
According to Flight Aware which tracks flight status in real-time, 7,100 flights were delayed today across the nation. And the picture is just as bad overseas with 28,380 flights delayed worldwide today.
'Extreme demand'
The problem isn’t going away anytime soon. Headlines around the country report a major pilot shortage adding to the summer travel chaos. And when there’s no pilot, it can take airlines hours to reroute staff to your flight.
Doug Shupe with AAA Southern California said, “The entire travel industry is working to rebound and meet this extreme demand for people to see the world again."
Tips to staying on top of your flight
Some tips Shupe suggested include:
- Downloading an airline app to keep on top of your flight, so you can plan accordingly.
- Book an early morning flight. Those usually get off the ground and the later flights start feeling the domino effect of staff shortages.
- And if possible, fly non-stop.
Nicole Hall from San Diego International Airport said 80,000 people flew in and out of San Diego International last weekend.
“Any holiday is going to be busier at the airport. We had record breaking numbers this past weekend. You’re dealing with more people, less parking, you need to plan ahead," said Hall.
Book your parking in advance
Yes, less parking at the airport. It’s down to just one parking structure right now. You can reserve a spot ahead of time online, here.
A new parking structure and terminal are under construction right now. That could be adding to the backup just getting into the San Diego airport.
Second most popular destination
According to AAA, San Diego is the second most popular destination for Southern Californians. From planes, trains, to automobiles, people are on the move in Southern California.
And 2.7 million of them are driving. As for the Mushkin siblings, they’re happy they flew.
Lauren said, “Our parents drove and it took them forever. So the road is really busy and apparently flying wasn't bad.”
WATCH RELATED: How to survive the summer travel season (June 2022).