Joel Rose

But, you know, the reality is that it takes years to train them to work in complex and congested airspace.

Big ones. The forecast from AAA is that we will see a record this holiday weekend with 45 million Americans traveling at least 50 miles from home. That is expected to break a record that has stood for 20 years. And it's mostly because of a record number of Americans driving this weekend. Drivers will find gas prices at their lowest levels on Memorial Day since 2021, according to GasBuddy.

Big ones. The forecast from AAA is that we will see a record this holiday weekend with 45 million Americans traveling at least 50 miles from home. That is expected to break a record that has stood for 20 years. And it's mostly because of a record number of Americans driving this weekend. Drivers will find gas prices at their lowest levels on Memorial Day since 2021, according to GasBuddy.

Big ones. The forecast from AAA is that we will see a record this holiday weekend with 45 million Americans traveling at least 50 miles from home. That is expected to break a record that has stood for 20 years. And it's mostly because of a record number of Americans driving this weekend. Drivers will find gas prices at their lowest levels on Memorial Day since 2021, according to GasBuddy.

Air travel is not quite expected to break the all-time record, but it is still forecast to be up about 12% compared to the levels before the COVID pandemic, according to AAA. So the demand for holiday travel this weekend is definitely there.

Air travel is not quite expected to break the all-time record, but it is still forecast to be up about 12% compared to the levels before the COVID pandemic, according to AAA. So the demand for holiday travel this weekend is definitely there.

Air travel is not quite expected to break the all-time record, but it is still forecast to be up about 12% compared to the levels before the COVID pandemic, according to AAA. So the demand for holiday travel this weekend is definitely there.

Airlines went into this year very optimistic about 2025, and they were expecting strong demand. But a lot of things have happened to cut into that optimism. The forecasts for international travel have softened because of political tensions between the U.S. and other countries. There's a lot of concern that travel from Canada and Europe to the U.S. will be down this summer.

Airlines went into this year very optimistic about 2025, and they were expecting strong demand. But a lot of things have happened to cut into that optimism. The forecasts for international travel have softened because of political tensions between the U.S. and other countries. There's a lot of concern that travel from Canada and Europe to the U.S. will be down this summer.

Airlines went into this year very optimistic about 2025, and they were expecting strong demand. But a lot of things have happened to cut into that optimism. The forecasts for international travel have softened because of political tensions between the U.S. and other countries. There's a lot of concern that travel from Canada and Europe to the U.S. will be down this summer.

Also, we have seen some very high-profile problems in the aviation system itself. You had the midair collision at Washington Reagan National Airport in January between a regional jet and a military helicopter. And a few weeks later, there was a hard landing in Toronto where another regional jet flipped over on the runway.

Also, we have seen some very high-profile problems in the aviation system itself. You had the midair collision at Washington Reagan National Airport in January between a regional jet and a military helicopter. And a few weeks later, there was a hard landing in Toronto where another regional jet flipped over on the runway.

Also, we have seen some very high-profile problems in the aviation system itself. You had the midair collision at Washington Reagan National Airport in January between a regional jet and a military helicopter. And a few weeks later, there was a hard landing in Toronto where another regional jet flipped over on the runway.

And in recent weeks, we have seen hundreds of flights canceled or delayed or diverted around Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, outside New York City. because of several radar and communication outages in the facility that manages that airspace. Also, there's a shortage of air traffic controllers in Newark and really across the whole country.

And in recent weeks, we have seen hundreds of flights canceled or delayed or diverted around Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, outside New York City. because of several radar and communication outages in the facility that manages that airspace. Also, there's a shortage of air traffic controllers in Newark and really across the whole country.

And in recent weeks, we have seen hundreds of flights canceled or delayed or diverted around Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, outside New York City. because of several radar and communication outages in the facility that manages that airspace. Also, there's a shortage of air traffic controllers in Newark and really across the whole country.

And all of this is creating a lot of uncertainty around air travel this summer. So speaking of Newark, what's new there? The FAA has now capped the number of flights in and out at Newark at a level that the agency says is more in line with what air traffic control can handle.

And all of this is creating a lot of uncertainty around air travel this summer. So speaking of Newark, what's new there? The FAA has now capped the number of flights in and out at Newark at a level that the agency says is more in line with what air traffic control can handle.

And all of this is creating a lot of uncertainty around air travel this summer. So speaking of Newark, what's new there? The FAA has now capped the number of flights in and out at Newark at a level that the agency says is more in line with what air traffic control can handle.

The FAA says it's working to install new fiber optic lines and adding new backup systems to help with the technical problems in Newark. The FAA says it's also trying to speed up hiring and training of new air traffic controllers. But, you know, the reality is that it takes years to train them to work in complex and congested airspace. And the system nationwide is more than 3,000 controllers short.