By some measures, air travelers have enjoyed a less stressful summer than last year, but canceled flights remain elevated as airlines face their last big test of the prime vacation season: Labor Day weekend.
The Federal Aviation Administration forecasts that this weekend will be the third busiest holiday weekend in the region, behind only the Juneteenth weekend, which included Fathers Day and the Presidents Day break.
Hurricane Idalia should be headed off the Atlantic Coast, with most holiday shoppers heading out or heading to the airport.
Airlines canceled several dozen flights in Florida and Georgia scheduled for Thursday, according to tracking service FlightAware.
In a statement, Tampa International Airport said it will resume normal operations, including departing flights.
Travelers can look at the weather conditions where they are going on the FAA website.
The FAA forecasts that Friday's busiest day in US airspace would be Tuesday's 52,203 flights, followed by Friday's 49,111 flights.
After a lull on Saturday and Sunday, flights are scheduled to pick up again Monday and Tuesday.
The list includes airline, military and some private flights.
The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen more than 14 million passengers from Friday through Wednesday, up nearly 11% over the same weekend last year.
AAA said reservations for domestic travel flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises are running 4% higher than Labor Day last year.
The auto club and insurance seller said global bookings are up 44% now that COVID- 19 restrictions have been lifted, with the top destinations being Vancouver, Rome, London, Dublin and Paris.
Gasoline prices are similar to last year. On Wednesday, the average of $3.83 a gallon was $3.83 a gallon, a penny less than a year ago.
Every seat on a plane is expected to be filled, capping a busy summer.
On Friday, American Airlines plans to carry nearly 3.5 million passengers on about 32,000 flights over the next few days.
The Labor Day weekend will be the worst of the week for United Airlines, with almost 2.8 million passengers in that same six-day stretch.
The total number of Americans travelling through US airport checkpoints in August is 2% higher than in August 2019, the agency said.
The good news for travelers is that the rate of canceled flights is down about 19% from last summer, according to data from tracking service FlightAware.
While the 1.8% cancellation rate has increased since June 1, it's now a tick higher than during the same period in 2019, and flights delays are also more common than last summer.
The FAA has said weather is causing about three-quarters of all airline delays, but at other times the volume of flights has been too much for FAA air traffic control centers, many of which are understaffed.
Travelers have enjoyed a bit of a break from last year's skyrocketing airfares.
The average fare for a domestic flight in July was down 9% from June and 19% from last July, according to the government's consumer price index.
The index sample is skewed toward discount airlines, the biggest airlines have reported that their prices are closer to 2022 levels.