NEW YORK — Marisa Duke-Potter was running on very little sleep Monday morning at LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B after a travel nightmare.

“I’ve been practicing Zen to keep me calm,” Duke-Potter said.

She flew in from Columbus, Ohio to visit family in Brooklyn. Her flight got pushed back so many times Sunday it made more sense for her to sleep at home and take the first flight Monday morning. She did not know why her flight was delayed.

“It was very inconvenient I was at the airport from two in the afternoon until seven at the airport. Five hours wasted," said Duke-Potter. "They didn’t mention anything on the loud speaker just saying it was late.”

Thousands of delays and hundreds of canceled flights have been reported in recent weeks from more than one airline. Many delays are blamed on computer problems, staffing shortages and bad weather.

Fortunately, Esther Catandella experienced none of that traveling back from Pennsylvania.

“Actually it was pretty easy. We had a direct flight very early in the morning 6 a.m. which probably wasn’t ideal but it was fine,” Catandella said.

Catandella and her sons are back to the grind heading home to Connecticut after their Fourth of July weekend trip.

“We were at a small lake north of Pittsburgh visiting family, boating, jet skiing and we had a blast,” Catandella said.

Kim Oldes and her family came in from North Carolina eager to take their first big trip after the pandemic to New York. She came for her daughter’s 11th birthday.

“We’re here to do some history. She’s been learning about the Harlem Renaissance so visit some places there, Statue of Liberty,” Oldes said.

She said it felt great to be back on a plane.

“Sitting on the airplane it was fine no problem so we feel good about it we’ve been vaccinated,” Oldes said.

AAA expects 3.5 million Americans will fly this holiday weekend.