expect high prices. you can expect snags and delays. memorial day weekend saw traffic at 93% of 20 19 levels. this is not 2019. airlines are grappling with labor shortages, high jet fuel costs and covid disrupting staffing. book your tickets early and plan for the worst. reporter: i m elizabeth cohen. an australian company is expected to send approximately 250,000 cans of infant formula to the u.s. next week. that is from the ceo of bugs australia christie carr. she told me the same amount will be sent in the same weeks after that and more formula sent for a total of 1.25 million cans. that s considerably more than was sent by nestle to the u.s. last week. it is unclear if any of that formula has yet to hit u.s.
holiday weekend. that s up for .6 compared to last year. the national average for a gallon of gas at 4.61 on monday the highest it has ever been 3-point zero for a year ago . airfares also more expensive. of round trip ticket is averaging about $400 according to travel research. gas up 24% 2019. the price hikes are thanks to higher jet fuel costs, double .he regular rates travelers say the increase is frustrating but something that they are willing to bear paid. whenever the gas prices, we have to payas for it. we want to visit our family so this is a cost. 6,000 flights were canceled with more delayed. delta said that custom ripple effect that flew off the flight
i said, absolutely not. reporter: still hopper says the average domestic round trip flight this memorial day is nearly $400. we typically see higher prices heading into the summer months. reporter: but hopper says strong demand and rising jet fuel costs are als helping push airfares up way beyond pre-covid prices and it s not just the airlines resort towns are facing worker shortages as the price of a summer getaway keeps climbing remarkably aaa still expects more people to travel this memorial day than did last year i can t stay home every single time. so this year i made it reporter: looking ahead to summer delta airlines announced it s cutting about a hundred daily flights from july into early august as it struggles to keep up with growing demand tom? only going to add more pressure. we thank you for. only good news today on wall street dow closing up 575 points jumping almost 2% the s&p and nasdaq gaining even more. breaking an eight-week
prices. overall we re seeing a 40% increase in the cost of flying in the u.s. compared to january of 2021. this increase in price is accelerated father than experts anticipated. they were expecting an increase of 6 to 7% each month leading up to this summer. instead, prices are increasing by around 10% through june according to hopper. you know, they were anticipating that demand coming up. the jump in jet fuel costs was not expected. that is up 40% from the beginning of the year and estimates show it s going to be 76% more expensive this summer compared to last summer. all of this is making people pay big bucks to get away. my ticket was outrageously expensive. i came here because i wanted to enjoy the city, get out of the house. covid is over. cheapest was 350 one way. from newark to orlando.
not surprisingly, the top destinations right now are the warm places. miami, orlando, las vegas. that s where people want to go now. and the higher fares are attributed to rising jet fuel costs and post omicron demand. the wave of this omicron infection is about to subside right around march. back to you, sandra. sandra: so the calm before the storm. it s rather calm behind you at the moment, phil. i m sure it s about to pick up in the coming weeks. thanks, phil. you got it. sandra: shares of spirit surging on the news. frontier gaining some ground. president joe biden and chancellor olaf scholz say they re teaming up in the russian show down promising sanctions. is it a mistake to wait? joni ernst joins us next.