BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Word on the street is that travel is back-- and it's back with such a force that people coined a new term.
'Revenge Travel' is now a thing, because apparently, home is no longer where the heart is.
Airlines knew that this was coming. Last Friday, Southwest issued a press release that sounded more like an apology, saying that they've heard from many customers that they are frustrated with the flight schedule and reliability issues.
They said "relentless summer storms" and lower flight frequencies between cities are to blame for a lack of rescheduling flexibility.
American Airlines made headlines a few weeks ago as well after it said it canceled flights due to staffing shortages, maintenance and other issues.
At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Monday, things were quieter than expected.
Sydney Amundson says she, her husband and her two kids flew in from Phoenix, AZ to spend time with family for the holiday weekend.
"We haven't seen family since December, makes it kind of hard with COVID and military and this new travel with babies and making sure everyone gets to the airport quickly," Amundson said with her 1-year-old son in her arms.
It was a good thing the Amundsons showed up early because nothing's ever perfect at the airport, right?
"We had a pause, [a] delay up there, computer system and new staff," she said. "I'm not sure if it's because of COVID or what, just a small hiccup."
Amundson added that her flight to Minneapolis wasn't delayed or anything, but it sure was crowded.
Even before this holiday weekend, MSP airport officials had announced that they had already seen the busiest days in the last 16 months. They said back in early June, they saw a day when they screened 30,000 passengers in one day through their security check points. They said they expect summer travel season to continue to ramp up, with departures projected at 432 per day in August.