Hundreds of flights canceled in Denver as 4th of July weekend approaches

Hundreds of United Airlines flights in Denver, Colorado have been canceled as the 4th of July holiday weekend approaches, according to reports. 

The website Flight Aware shows United Airlines had canceled 104 flights at the Denver International Airport by around 2 p.m. Thursday. An additional 318 flights have also experienced delay among United and other airlines.

A United Airlines spokesperson told 9News that the delays and cancellations were a result of bad weather occurring in the northeast part of the country. 

"We’re seeing continued meaningful improvement today after an overnight effort to further repair schedules and match separated crews with aircraft," the spokesperson told the airline. "As the recovery progresses, delays and cancellations will continue to decline as we head into what we expect to be a very busy holiday weekend. We’re closely watching the weather, especially in Denver and Chicago today, and are hopeful our customers will still see fewer last-minute cancellations – which will reduce lines at the airport."

The Federal Aviation Administration has already halted flights this week bound for LaGuardia airport in New York; Reagan Washington National in Washington, D.C., and the Baltimore-Washington airport.

United Airlines canceled 18% of its scheduled flights Tuesday, and JetBlue canceled 16% of its flights.

The FAA acknowledged that key facilities including one in the New York City region are understaffed. The agency is training about 3,000 new air traffic controllers, but most will not finish their training anytime soon, according to The Hill.