Louisville airport still navigating delays and cancellations amid staffing shortages

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The masks are off and social distancing is no longer required on planes but airlines aren't exactly operating as usual.

"People want to travel, they want to get out, there's definitely the demand," Natalie Chaudoin, a spokesperson for the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, said. "We're seeing capacity at about 90-95% of where we were in 2019, which was our best year ever."

She says an average of 70 flights depart and arrive in Louisville's airport every day. This past weekend, 11 of those flights were cancelled.

"This last Sunday we did see a higher number of cancellations than what we typically do. Nationwide we saw that," Chaudoin said.

According to the Department of Transportation numbers from May, while the majority of flights were on time, more than 11,000 were cancelled nationwide.

The two top reasons for delays: late-arriving airplanes and airline operations.

"It's nobody's (at the airport) fault that there's not enough baggage claim, that there's not enough people to bring a plane in," Lyn Porter said.

Chaudoin says the storms on both coasts had an impact on Sunday flights in Louisville.

"Unfortunately, there was that domino effect that we did see," Chaudoin said.

There's also the reality of the pandemic.

Mandatory masks and social distancing may be history but major airline staffing shortages are impacting positions ranging from pilots to baggage handlers.

We asked for some travel tips to navigate issues at airports. Those include: arriving about two hours early, keeping an eye on your flight status and the forecast, and include essential items like medicine in your carry-on.

"I do usually have some sort of nuts or something, trail mix kind of idea. Especially when I travel with little kids, I bring a lot of snacks," Porter said.

And last, but not least, be patient and kind.