© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: An American Airlines plane sits at a gate at Logan Airport ahead of the Fourth of July holiday in Boston, Massachusetts, US, June 28, 2023. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
Written by Dwensola Oladipo and Rajesh Kumar Singh
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The number of people flying in the United States for the Fourth of July holiday is expected to exceed pre-COVID levels for the first time in four years, but recent flight disruptions raise new questions about airlines’ preparedness. To deal with the summer travel rush.
In anticipation of a busy summer, US airlines have taken measures such as reducing schedules and strengthening staff to prevent widespread flight disruptions, although bad weather in some areas poses a risk to travelers during this period.
Despite signs of slowing consumer spending, about 51 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from their homes between Friday, June 30, and Tuesday, July 4, according to travel group AAA. This represents an increase of nearly 4% from 2019 levels, which is the current record year for July 4th travel.
AAA’s estimates do not include Thursday, June 29, which the FAA expects will be the busiest day for air travel over the weekend.
The US Transportation Security Administration said it screened 2.7 million passengers Thursday, up 32% from 2019.
This past weekend, thunderstorms and equipment failures at an FAA facility in the Washington area caused significant delays for air travelers on the US East Coast.
About 43,000 flights have been delayed and more than 7,700 canceled between Saturday, June 24 and Thursday, June 29, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.
United Airlines bore the brunt of the disruption, with about 19% of its scheduled flights canceled and about 47% delayed.
The Chicago-based carrier said its operations were starting to improve. And data from FlightAware showed that while cancellations on Thursday were fewer than those on earlier days in the week, United still canceled 18% of its flights.
The unrest has angered passengers, with many United customers expressing frustration on social media about long lines, flight rebooking delays and misplaced bags.
The carrier apologized to customers on Twitter for the delay in responding to complaints, citing high call numbers.
“Everything is in place as pilots move planes, call center teams work overtime to take care of our customers, and airport customer service staff work tirelessly to deliver bags and flights on board,” United said in a statement.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the summer travel season a “stress test” for airlines’ operations.
“Nobody can control the weather, but it’s important for airlines to create enough flexibility in the system,” Buttigieg told CNN.
However, United (NYSE) CEO Scott Kirby blamed the FAA for making the situation worse. In a note to employees, he said more than 150,000 federated customers were impacted last weekend by FAA staffing issues and their impact on traffic management.
However, the airline said it would be “on track” to resume operations over the weekend when it expects five million people to travel with it. Its bookings are up about 12% from last year and have almost rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.
American Airlines (NASDAQ: ) expects to serve approximately 3 million customers from Friday, June 30 through Tuesday, July 4 on more than 26,000 scheduled flights.
Travel spending has held up across the country, and air carriers are forecasting strong results through 2023, which comes on the back of US consumer confidence rising in June to its highest level in nearly a year and a half.
AAA predicts that 43 million people will drive to their destinations, up 4% from 2019 levels.
Other modes of travel still haven’t reached pre-pandemic levels. The travel group expects about 3 million people to travel by bus, cruise ship or train over the long weekend, up 24% from last year but 5% below 2019 levels.