'A pent-up demand for travel' despite gas prices, flight delays

Thousands of pandemic-weary Minnesotans are primed to travel over the Independence Day weekend despite high gas prices, expected flight delays and cancellations, and possible havoc at airports.

"There's just a pent-up demand for travel, where people haven't been able to travel the last couple of years and they're finally able to go," said Meredith Mitts, a public affairs specialist for AAA Minnesota-Iowa.

Nearly 48 million Americans are expected to take to the skies and highways for July 4th, a level close to 2019 before the pandemic decimated all manner of travel, according to AAA. But that wanderlust comes at a high price this year.

Kendal Geraets of Lake City, Fla., arrived Wednesday morning at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and on time, no less. She'd heard nightmarish stories about flight cancellations and delays in recent weeks and was worried.

"It was seamless," she said. "But I prayed real hard for it."

On the roads, AAA says car travel nationwide will set a record between June 30 and July 4 with some 42 million people involved, despite gas prices hovering at the $4.60 mark in Minnesota, up from $2.69 a gallon last year.

The busiest days at MSP over the long holiday weekend were expected to be Thursday and Friday, according to Jeff Lea, spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC).

"We're not expecting a big spike in travelers for the Fourth of July, but more of a sustained period of busier days," he said.

But surging travel demand, curtailed airline schedules and personnel shortages — pilots, gate agents and other staffers — have wrought mayhem in the air travel system in recent weeks. Just last weekend, Delta Air Lines, the dominant carrier at MSP, canceled more than 600 flights and delayed over 2,000 nationwide, according to the website Thrifty Traveler.

Delta took the extraordinary step this week of issuing a systemwide waiver, permitting passengers to reschedule their holiday trips from Friday through Monday at no cost. Delta passengers can now rebook with no fare difference or change fees, as long as travel begins no later than July 8 and the origin and destination remain the same.

Why? "We expect to carry customer volumes over the weekend not seen since before the pandemic," the Atlanta-based carrier said in an advisory Tuesday.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed remorse Thursday in an e-mail to customers. "If you've encountered delays and cancellations recently, I apologize," Bastian wrote.

The Thrifty Traveler's Gunnar Olson said Delta's move is unusual: "Usually you only see free change waivers during storms, like winter storms or thunderstorms. Clearly, they're bracing for a different kind of storm."

Either way, MSP officials were expecting about 31,000 passengers to clear security in both terminals on Thursday and Friday each day. That's below the record pandemic daily peak of 39,000 passengers in March during the spring break season, as well as some days in June that hit upwards of 38,000 passengers, Lea said.

Daily volume at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints are projected to level off at 22,000 to 24,000 passengers on Saturday through the rest of the holiday weekend, Lea said. The projections don't include connecting passengers through MSP, which amount to roughly 30% of all flights.

The TSA expects Friday to be the weekend's busiest day at MSP.

"In general, we are shorthanded," said Neal Gosman, spokesman for Local 899 of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA officers at MSP. "It wouldn't hurt if people get [to the airport] early. We don't know how long the lines will be."

Olson said if travelers take the Delta waiver, it would be best to book the first flight of the day. Also, it's more expeditious to use a carry-on bag, he said.

Sam Hoopingarner of Austin, Texas, arrived at MSP Wednesday on time — with plans to return home Sunday. "It's that flight I'm worried about," he said.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation urged holiday weekend motorists to plan ahead, expect delays and stick to the speed limit — especially while driving through the state's 200-plus construction work zones.

At the West Lakeland Rest Area off Interstate 94, just west of the St. Croix River, many motorists were stopping to walk their dogs, use the facilities and grab some travel brochures.

"We're driving because we were a little concerned about the state of the airlines," said Perry Sylvester, a Michigan resident headed to North Dakota. He added that it seemed cheaper to go by car, despite gas prices.

Rick Pyles and Laura King drove up from The Villages in Florida to explore Minneapolis for a couple months, visiting friends and family along the way. Pyles estimated they'd spent more than $360 for gas so far. The highest gas prices were in Illinois, at nearly $6 a gallon, he said.

Still, Pyles said they had to drive "because we're here for two months. And we've already rented this place, so we had no choice."