we are joined from hartsfield. as much as we re hearing about delays and disruptions, people are still traveling like crazy. reporter: yeah. no one is slowing down especially now that people feel like the rest of the world has opened back up. it s time to get out and enjoy. we remember what it was like when we were in the lockdown. people want to put that behind them and enjoy the fourth of july weekend. unfortunately we are seeing about 800 flights being delayed. about 160 flights cancelled today and that just has a ripple effect for all the other days. if you take a look behind me, if you re flight is still op n tim you have a easy path to get through general boarding through tsa security check point here. you can just clearly walk through. look at the gentleman as he talks up to get checked in.
because we re beginning another packed day on the road and at u.s. airports as millions of americans travel for the holiday weekend. so far nearly 200 flights have already been canceled, that s in addition to the more than 650 flights canceled yesterday. more than 380 have been delayed today. you can see here some airports seeing what seemed to look like never-ending lines, tsa says checkpoints are hitting screening numbers not seen since prepandemic days. even if you re avoiding hitting the skies, for anyone taking a road trip, navigating by car isn t any easier. some 42 million people are expected to hit the road this fourth of july, despite gas prices hovering near or above record numbers across the country. right now regular gas averaging $4.81 a gallon. that s over a 50% increase from this same time last year. let s take you out to atlanta hartsfield jackson international
that s not affecting anyone. that s offshore. be careful of rip currents and those on the coast. regional flights for the most part, could one pop up around hartsfield? absolutely but they don t last long. parts of montana and the dakotas, so regional flights, more for those traveling by car trying to get to the national landmarks such as parts of around the badlands, mount rushmore over to yosemite. the heat is on and with this type of heat, again, cannot stress enough scattered. our threat, it s only a level two but starts to slide to minneapolis and chicago later in the day. it only takes one airport to throw a wrench. overall if you re looking at the fourth of july there will be a lot of clearing, parts of the ohio valley. no storm threat really today. some thunderstorms around atlanta. pop up mainly clear in the midwest. it is not a good thing to be
conjunction with local governments. 90% of those on board were fully vaccinated. royal caribbean says the ship has no more scheduled ports of call and is set to return to florida sunday. so, how can you stay safe traveling on packed planes and in crowded terminals? we sent cnn s brian todd to find out. reporter: from l.a.x. to atlanta s hartsfield, america s airports are jampacked. some passengers worried about daking to the skies during the omicron variant surge. i don t like the fact the planes are all full. we re squashed. when i came from california squashed then, and i anticipate the same thing going home. reporter: with some 20 million people estimated to be flying this holiday season in the u.s., health experts are urging passengers to take new precautions to avoid contracting the omicron variant. it s all about staying away from people you don t know, strangers. you don t know whether they ve got the virus or not. reporter: are surgical masks still the best ones to
shortage. united is canceling flights, not trying to leave people stranded at the airport, but there is a bit of an issue with breakthrough infections. united airlines required all of the their employees to be vaccinated. pete, thank you very much. i want to look now at some of the ways you could fly as safely as possible right into the midst of this surge in omicron cases. our brian todd has been talking to experts on this really important issue. what are you learning, brian. this information is crucial because as pete just told us there are so many people taking to the skies right now. experts tell us this is all about being vaxed and distancing and not taking the masks off. from l.a.x. to hartsfield, american s airports are jam packed. some passengers worried about taking to the skies during the omicron variant surge. i don t like the fact that the planes are all full. we re squashed in when i came out here from california, squashed in and i anticipate the