Summer air travel could be rough. Here's how travelers can prepare.

MoneyWatch Summer air travel is shaping up to be a mess. Here's how travelers can prepare. .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } By Megan Cerullo Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting. Read Full Bio Megan Cerullo May 21, 2026 / 12:07 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Rising airfares, airport delays and flight cancellations could make travelers wish they had opted for a staycation this summer. On-time flight arrivals in 2025 were at their worst level since 2014, according to a new report from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, a consumer public interest group. Last year, one in 12 flights arrived at least an hour late, while airlines canceled more than 100,000 flights. The worst-performing airlines for cancellations were American, Frontier and JetBlue, according to the report, which analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Allegiant, Hawaiian and Southwest canceled the fewest flights. Airlines that did the best job of staying on schedule included Hawaiian, Delta and Southwest, while Frontier, JetBlue and American were the worst at keeping flights on time. What's making air travel so stressful?A shortage of air traffic controllers, exacerbated by two recent U.S. government shutdowns, has made air travel more of a headache for passengers. But that isn't the biggest driver of flight delays and cancellations. Schedule mishaps most commonly occur when bad weather disrupts flights or when airlines plan more flights than an airport can accommodate, according to Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director at U.S. PIRG Education Fund. She noted that while passenger volumes were down 1% in 2025, 5% fewer bags were checked compared to 2024. If more people...