As expected, summer travel is already chaotic, and some people got inventive with their mode of transportation. .
Since Monday, over 30,000 flights have been delayed and over 6,000 have been canceled, according to the FlightAware website.
For some travelers, the only option left to reach their destination is to hire moving trucks.
When his flight home for a wedding was canceled due to mechanical difficulties, Jerry Brennan, 60, was in Columbia, Missouri on a business trip. The following day, he was scheduled to take a different flight, which was also canceled for the same reason.
Mr. Brennan declared, "I was furious as hell.". "When they instructed us to exit the second plane, I initially believed they were joking. It was extremely annoying. ".
He chuckled, "I was stuck in the vortex at the Columbia airport. "U-Haul was the only escape route I had. due to the fact that I was unable to purchase a vehicle. ".
Companies refused to permit a one-way rental in Columbia or even in neighboring St. Louis.
He considered taking an Amtrak train but would not have arrived in time in order to attend the wedding. He decided that U-Haul was his best option because he had heard that it was a good option for one-way driving.
He admitted that he felt "silly" and that U-Hauls are not the most comfortable vehicles for a seven-hour drive, but he was relieved to have a way home.
He arrived in Chicago for the wedding, and the groom's father mentioned his dramatic journey during the toast.
When Jill Radley, 23, and Cate Durubogan, 22, traveled to New York City to celebrate Pride, they assumed they would be able to board their flight back to Chicago on Monday night without any issues.
Their flight was first delayed, then cancelled while they were seated at a restaurant in the Newark Liberty International Airport.
They quickly learned there were no flights available for that evening or the following day, Tuesday.
They found that the price of any other airline flight was over $1,000 (or £787). They were aware that they had to return home because Cate would be moving in a few days in addition to their obligations at work.
The next flight was announced to them on Monday, and "rental cars out in New York were all booked up," according to Ms. Radley.
Philadelphia, which is 95 miles (150 km) from New York, was chosen as the location to search for rental cars. Ms. Durubogan thought she struck it lucky when she discovered one that was open. Ms. Radley was purchasing Amtrak tickets as she made the car reservation in order to travel to Philadelphia on Tuesday morning.
They arrived at the rental location, but there were no cars available.
"[The employee] was sincerely sorry; it wasn't his fault. Simply the middleman, he. However, he said, "We don't have any of these cars," Ms. Radley recalled.
According to Ms. Durubogan, "there were no automobiles, flights, trains, or buses.". "It simply seemed as though there was no way to go back. ".
It was scheduled each time they considered a different approach.
I needed a mental break, so I went to the restroom. I was panicking and sort of hyperventilating," she claimed.
When she came back, Ms. Radley was grinning and suggested they rent a U-Haul.
They chose a cargo van instead of a large truck because U-Haul only had those, and then they finally started driving the 13-hour journey back home.
Once we had the keys to a vehicle, Ms. Radley said, "it was in our control to get there and that felt really good.". "We arrived home on Tuesday evening and reported to work on Wednesday. " .
At that point, it was just a rite of passage. ".
Be imaginative and remember that "you can take a Penske vans across the country," was their advice.
