Airline passengers in SoCal paying skyrocketing airfares during Memorial Day travel

By Leanne Suter

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    BURBANK, California (KABC) — Many of those flying during the busy Memorial Day weekend are paying a hefty price for their flights.

“It’s horrible! It’s a short flight and it’s $1,100,” said traveler Beverly Hartley. “On Southwest.”

“I have to go to Vegas this coming weekend, and I’m trying to find something that gets in and out, and it just seems so expensive,” said SoCal resident David Matthew Rodriguez.

Some analysts say people should expect the soaring prices to continue through the summer.

Airfares are up a whopping 33% in April from a year ago. But that sticker shock isn’t stopping many from taking to the skies.

Experts predict that by summer 2022, the number of airline passengers will surpass pre-pandemic levels despite the skyrocketing prices.

“We actually found it much cheaper to fly than it was to drive because we usually drive from Sacramento to Hollywood, but gas is so expensive that it’s almost worth it to just fly,” said traveler Lydia Miranda.

Over the long holiday weekend, the TSA is expected to screen more than two million people per day nationwide.

Many are ready to travel after all the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, and with planes full, the demand is driving up prices.

“It has increased significantly over the last couple of months, prices for everything actually it’s a lot hit you in the pocketbook and then you can’t have as much fun where you’re going,” said SoCal resident Kimberly Winegar.

AAA says that an estimated 35 million motorists will be driving to their holiday destination.

In the meantime, across the nation this memorial day weekend, the wave of flight cancellations continues.

Luckily at LAX, only 17 flights were canceled over the last 24 hours, according to flightaware.com.

Nationwide, more than 1,200 flights were canceled Sunday — Delta Airlines experiencing the most, with 240 flights scrapped Saturday alone.

The company is blaming bad weather and air traffic control actions.

At the airports, experts urge everyone to give themselves extra time and arrive early, just in case those delays continue adding up.

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