Over the course of this year alone, airlines have begun taking tremendous heat for considerable upticks in flights being delayed or cancelled altogether.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, for instance, believes it's high time for airlines to feel the pain of these cancellations and delays. The Independent senator recently wrote to the US Transportation Department, calling for massive fines against airlines that fail to live up to their flight schedules.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg affirms that he's in consistent touch with airlines regarding flight operations.

Unfortunately, the issues of delays and cancellations are not seeing improvements. With America barely into the second half of this year, there are already more 2022 cancellations of flights than there were last year.

The latest on flight cancellations in America

Between Father's Day weekend, Fourth of July weekend, and other periods, flight cancellations, along with delays, continue to pose serious problems.

Since the start of this year and the end of June, 121,918 flight cancellations have taken place. In contrast, 2021 only saw 121,552 cancellations of flights. Unfortunately, this means airlines' issues continue to worsen, rather than improve.

Delays with flights also remain on an incline from 2021. During the first half of 2022, 20% of flights underwent delays. Although during last year's first half, only 13.1% incurred delays.

Needless to say, these sorts of holdups pose serious issues for travelers. Some have found themselves stranded in airports for 24 hours at a time. Others missed connecting flights and scheduled events they planned to attend.

What's causing all these issues with flights?

Amid the rise of travel disruptions, Americans continue to wonder about the underlying causes. Thus far, pilot shortages remain cited as a major reason, along with inclement weather and airlines simply scheduling flights they know they lack the capacity to fulfill.

To make matters worse, the prices of flight tickets are on an increase. Therefore, this creates a situation where travelers are spending more money, yet receiving increasingly inadequate service.

Naturally, this doesn't sit well with the general public at all. More people are calling for airlines to do better and face punitive measures if real improvements don't begin to materialize.