US airline cancellation rate remains low despite record summer travel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. airlines have canceled 1.6% of all flights this year despite record summer travel and significant disruptions in July sparked by cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike, the Transportation Department said Thursday.

USDOT said the cancellation rate through Tuesday this year is slightly above 1.5% cancel rate for 2023 but lower than any other year since 2017 when it was 1.4%. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said last week that U.S. summer travel has set a new record and is forecasting record passengers for the Labor Day travel period that marks the end of the summer season.