Delta Air Lines is expecting a “relatively normal operational day” Monday after thunderstorms wreaked havoc on flight schedules last week and into the weekend.
The No. 2 US airline canceled around 3,275 flights through Saturday after powerful mid-week storms stranded and frustrated passengers during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
On Sunday, about 130 flights were canceled, with a statement from Delta Sunday citing the “availability of flight crews to operate within federally mandated crew rest and duty day guidelines.”
Spokesman Michael Thomas told CNN cancellations scheduled for Monday were down to single-digit status.
“We currently have 3 cancellations on the books for (Monday) and expect a relatively normal operational day,” Thomas said.
Tornado-like conditions
The severe weather last week battered the mid-Atlantic region, the Northeast and the Southeast, causing tornado-like conditions Wednesday around Delta’s hub, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, through which 60% of its 1,250-aircraft fleet passes each day.
Delta Chief Operating Officer Gil West called the storms that pounded Atlanta “unprecedented” and acknowledged the recovery effort could have been better.
Delta has one of the most enviable track records in the airline industry. The carrier had 161 days in 2016 without a cancellation on its mainline operations.
Several factors aggravated the recent air-travel headaches, including planes packed with vacationers on spring break.
The airline and travelers should be helped by the weather, as forecasts call for a mostly rain-free week in the Atlanta region, with showers expected Wednesday and Friday.