Travel nightmare looms over July 4th weekend

Independence Day weekend is expected to be the second busiest for travel since 2000, with flight delays, cancelations and staffing woes.

Why it matters: It's a sign that the summer of "revenge travel" is upon us, with Americans splurging on travel and enduring delays to make up for pandemic-related cancellations.

The big picture: Airlines from coast to coast have been bracing for "operational challenges" this weekend, with some even encouraging customers to rebook their plans for another weekend.

Zoom in: Philadelphia International Airport this week saw roughly 180 delayed flights and 27 cancellations on one day alone.

On any given day in recent weeks, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has experienced a dozen or more delayed flights and a handful of cancellations, per the flight tracking website flightaware.com.