Airline passengers who have endured tens of thousands of weather-related flight delays this week got a welcome respite from the headaches Saturday, despite concerns about possible disruptions caused by new wireless 5G systems rolling out near major airports.
The number of flight delays and cancellations declined from the spikes recorded earlier in the week, according to data compiled by tracking service FlightAware. As of 10 p.m. ET, there had been at least 850 flight cancellations and more than 28,000 delayed flights Saturday. During the June 28–30 period, an average of 1,751 flights were canceled and more then 32,600 flights delayed, according to the FlightAware data.
The cancellation rate worked out to about 1 percent in the United States as of Saturday afternoon, according to Flightradar24, another tracking service. Flightradar24 spokesperson Ian Petchenik described Saturday’s conditions as “smooth sailing” in an email to The Associated Press, while adding inclement weather could cause problems at East Coast airports later in the day….