Oh, flying sucks right now,It sure does! But car rental isn't a thing right now either- flying is a lot cheaper if it goes well. If you fly you stand a good chance of having luggage going missing, missing a connecting flight and spending hours on the phone trying to get the mess sorted out while staying someplace you didn't plan on, and then having to make a claim against the airline(s) down the road, and somehow hoping they'll reimburse you for the expenses caused by their current ineptitude.
My recent trip on the Colorado Trail was bookended by airline horror...