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.

Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled Friday amid airline staff shortages and protests, as the Fourth of July travel rush got underway.

There were already more than 1,870 flight delays and 270 cancellations — well above the daily average of 210 scrapped flights — domestically as of noon Friday, according to the airline tracking service FlightAware.

More than 48 million people were expected to hit the road for the holiday weekend as airlines struggled to keep up with the soaring summer travel demand.

As the U.S. prepares for what some in the industry are calling "airmageddon," travelers are bracing for a possible meltdown at airlines, airports and security and customs checkpoints, not to mention hotels and hotel services.

AAA predicts roughly 42 million Americans will take a road trip by car of 50 miles or more.

But the real crunch: 3.5 million people are expected to fly this holiday weekend. Airfares cost, on average, 14% more, and in some markets have quadrupled. And hotel rates are up a whopping 23% since 2021.

Nothing says Independence Day like a good, old-fashioned barbecue.

In keeping with tradition, most Americans — roughly 60% — plan to grill this weekend, and 53% will get together with friends and family, according to a recent report by market research firm Numerator.

“Consumers want to celebrate this summer for a number of reasons, and food is central to that,” said Karol Aure-Flynn, a food and agribusiness analyst and author of Wells Fargo’s July Fourth food inflation report.

Inflation might be even more explosive than Fourth of July fireworks this year as families grapple with pricier cookouts and holiday plans.

David Branch is making some changes to his Fourth of July celebration menu this year.

"I'm not doing ribs. I'm not doing beef brisket and other things that probably I would normally do," Branch said.

U.S. consumers can expect to pay 17 percent more to eat on Independence Day in 2022, according to a new report from the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).

The annual study confirmed that the average cost of a summer cookout for 10 people would total $69.68, an increase of $10 from 2021.

Americans across the country had big July Fourth celebrations this year, in part to make up for missing out last year. But amid all the revelry there was also a lot of tragedy as at least 150 people were killed by gun violence across the country throughout the weekend, reports CNN, citing data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive. From Friday through Sunday there were more than 400 shootings across the United States, according to the data that is still being updated and could very well increase.

A bloody Fourth of July weekend ended with at least 150 people killed in more than 400 shootings that occurred across the country, according to data compiled throughout the weekend.

In New York City, at least 26 people were shot from Friday through Sunday, with at least two of the incidents resulting in deaths.

More than 180 people were killed in shootings across the country over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive and reviewed by NPR.

By 11:30 p.m. on Monday, the Gun Violence Archive reported 189 people killed and 516 injured in shootings over the course of a 72-hour period starting Friday. In total, there were more than 540 shootings over the holiday weekend, the organization reported.

Those numbers may increase as the organization continues to collect statistics from the weekend.