RIC grapples with nearly 100 delays in past two days

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WWBT) - The summer travel woes continue at Richmond International Airport.

On Monday, travelers saw 65 delays and 16 cancellations according to FlightAware, due to unsettled weather in the Northeast and widespread staffing shortages.

On Tuesday, those travel headaches lingered. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, FlightAware reported 31 delays and 1 cancellation at RIC.

“Every time I fly, I’m like...here we go again,” traveler Byron Dossett said.

Dossett was supposed to get to Richmond for the start of the work week, but his travel plans were one of many that were spoiled.

“It got delayed and delayed, but then it got canceled,” he said. “They rescheduled me for today at nine and then it got delayed twice because of maintenance issues. I think a labor shortage is probably one of the big causes of it.”

This isn’t Dossett’s first rodeo. Back in may during the big kick-off of post-pandemic summer travel, he got stranded in New York.

“I got delayed for like three days and I was trapped in the airport for like two days,” he said.

Several folks like Carolyn Robertson have been playing a game of catch-up with their luggage as well.

“I’m patient at first, but if there’s no resolution, then the frustration just escalates,” she said.

While individual airlines look for flight attendants, pilots, and other staff, TSA is now hoping to recruit more agents nationwide, especially in Richmond.

“it’s been a very busy summer. We’re seeing travel returned to pre-pandemic levels....there are some days where we’re seeing the volume of passengers at our checkpoints actually exceed our pre-pandemic levels,” TSA Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said. “We’re seeing very busy airports nationwide, and for Richmond as well.”

TSA will be staffing a recruitment table at the Mechanicsville Public Library on July 26, to provide detailed information about the hiring process for security officers to work at Richmond International Airport.

The recruitment table will be staffed from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 26, at the library, which is located at 7461 Sherwood Crossing Place, Mechanicsville, Va. 23111. The recruitment table offers individuals the opportunity to learn more about what it is like to work as a TSA officer. In addition to providing information, interested persons can complete the job application on-site.

There are currently openings for both full and part-time positions with a starting salary of $17.55 per hour. TSA is currently offering a $1,000 hiring bonus to individuals who become TSA officers at Richmond. New hires will receive $500 upon starting and another $500 at their one-year anniversary.

Copyright 2022 WWBT. All rights reserved.

Send it to 12 here.

Want NBC12’s top stories in your inbox each morning? Subscribe here.