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For months on end now, flight disruptions have gotten to be a weighty problem in American life. US travelers find themselves stranded at airports, missing connecting flights, and otherwise having trips ruined.

To say this is causing serious issues in American society doesn't do it justice.

The situation has turned so pervasive that US lawmakers now have involvement. Various officials recently introduced legislation to actually penalize airlines when travelers face cancellations and serious delays.

Unfortunately, since COVID hit, airlines haven't had the best time. Despite getting billions in government bailouts, airlines laid off and retired numerous workers. Now, this is coming back to bite them as demand for travel soars.

This past weekend, travelers once again suffered from interruptions with their booked, scheduled flights.

What to know about this weekend's travel cancellations

Domestic travel throughout the states took some serious hits on Saturday and Sunday. FlightAware projects that 1,500 cancellations of flights took place; meanwhile, thousands of additional flights suffered delays.

Some of the airports most seriously impacted by flight disruptions include the following: New York's LaGuardia, Chicago’s O’Hare, and Newark’s Liberty.

Meanwhile, United Airlines carrier Wisconsin Air shut down 26% of its scheduled flights just on Sunday alone.

In recent weeks, some airlines have cut back on flights and even operations in certain cities; however, this still isn't stopping airlines from having issues.

The foreseeable future of air travel for Americans

At this time, years may pass before airlines are able to completely iron out these travel delays and cancellations. Due to the number of airline workers who retired during shutdowns, airlines now have to find replacements.

However, even with all the funding, getting mass new hires on the beat takes time. Training, onboarding, and certification each come via processes that are not overnight.

Some Americans express support for penalizing airlines that continuously have delays. However, now questions have come up about whether or not government interference in this issue would impose more harm than good.

Certain people warn that fines or penalties against airlines could potentially worsen the situation for travelers. Unfortunately, no easy fix exists to the difficulties travelers and airlines face.