There are more costs and airline delays for travelers who are attempting to avoid the Memorial Day surge.

Widespread delays across the nation on Thursday tried the patience of Memorial Day weekend passengers, but the low number of canceled flights gave rise to optimism that airlines can manage the larger numbers anticipated on Friday.More than 6,000 flights were delayed by early evening on the East Coast on Thursday, with Dallas-Fort Worth International and the three main airports in the New York City region experiencing the worst backlogs.Nearly 3 million passengers are projected to pass through airport checkpoints on Friday, the day with the highest volume of air travel throughout the holiday weekend, according to the Transportation Security Administration's prediction. It might surpass the previous year's record of 2.9 million, which was set on the Sunday following Thanksgiving.According to AAA spokesman Aixa Diaz, "airports are going to be more packed than we have seen in 20 years."Travelers are complaining about sticker shock at the prices while they're not waiting out aircraft delays.Larisa Latimer of New Lenox, Illinois, said at Chicago's O'Hare Airport that although her airfare was affordable, other costs for a trip to New Orleans were not.Kathy Larko, of Fort Meyers, Florida, paid for her vacation to Chicago with frequent flyer miles and some flexible scheduling.

"I pay close attention to how much the full vacation will cost. She explained, "We're staying a little further out than we usually would in order to obtain a better hotel deal. Additionally, we're returning a day later since we could earn more miles. There will be more traffic on the roads. Between Thursday and Monday, 43.8 million people—38 million of whom will use cars—are expected to travel at least 50 miles (80 kilometers) from their homes, according to AAA estimates.

The holiday weekend is being used by airport unions to emphasize their demands. According to the Service Employees International Union, over 100 employees who operate trash trucks and clean airplane cabins at the Charlotte, North Carolina, airport began a 24-hour strike on Thursday in protest of their poor pay and health benefits. Roughly 15%The local's secretary-treasurer, Demos Demopoulos, stated, "We are happy an agreement has been reached, a need for a strike averted, and we are hopeful that the deal will be ratified by our members." ___ This story was produced with assistance from Associated Press radio reporter Shelley Adler in Washington and video journalist Melissa Perez Winder in Chicago. All rights reserved. Associated Press, 2024. All rights reserved. Without permission, this material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or distributed.