Record summer airline travel is starting, and so are the flight delays

Summer
air
travel
is
expected
to
soar
in
the
United
States.
The
Transportation
Security
Administration
screened
a
high
of
2.99
million
individuals
on
Sunday,
June
23
—
exceeding
a
record
set
just
weeks
earlier
on
May
24
—
and
the

TSA
is
forecasting
a
record-setting
July
4
holiday
period.
TSA
expects
to
screen
more
than
32
million
travelers
in
all
between
Friday,
June
28,
and
Monday,
July
8,
a
5.4%
year-over-year
increase
in
travel
for
the
holiday.

The
record-breaking
air
traveler
numbers
come
amid
airline
challenges,
from

supply
chain
delays
to
intense
regulation,
the

Boeing
safety
crises
limiting
new
planes
coming
to
market,

air
traffic
controller
“fatigue,”
extreme
weather
delays,
and
rising
costs
which
have

hit
the
carriers’
bottom
line
and
compressed
margins.

Airports
weren’t
wholly
ready
for
the
initial
summer
rush.

Over
6,000
flights
were
delayed
by
the
evening
of
Friday,
May
24,
on
the
East
Coast
alone.
While
there
may
be
enough
flights
to
meet
demand,
the
record
travel
still
pose
challenges
to
airports,
airlines,
and
travelers.
For
now,
the
airlines
are
expressing
confidence.

Delta
Air
Lines
CEO
Ed
Bastian
told
CNBC’s
“Squawk
Box”
this
week
that
its
performance
levels
are
excelling,
with
the
“best
first
quarter
reliability
[Delta
has]
ever
seen.”
(Delta
has
the

best
on-time
record
in
the
U.S.)

But
there
will
also
be
the
need
for
coordination.

American
Airlines
CEO
Robert
Isom
told
“Squawk
Box”
the
company
is
making
sure
to
“run
the
most
reliable
airline
possible,”
but
factors
affecting
on-time
flights
vary
from
weather
to
air
traffic
control
issues.

Air
traffic,
extreme
weather

The
Federal
Aviation
Administration
has
found
a
shortage
of
up
to
3,000
needed
air
traffic
controllers.
Last
summer,
a
record-breaking
summer
for
airports,
there
were
air
traffic
jams
and
near
collisions
amid
challenges
in
flight
coordination.
Based
on
air
traffic
patterns
and
airport
density,
New
York
City
and
Florida
are
subject
to
the
highest
risk
of
backups.

The
massive

heat
wave
across
the
U.S.
was
a
peek
at
the
kind
of
extreme
weather
that
can
lead
to
travel
issues.
The

National
Oceanic
and
Atmospheric
Administration
expects
disruptive
weather
for
the
holiday
week,
with
storms
across
the
Midwest
and
East
Coast,
and
continuing
dangerous
heat
in
the
Southwest
and
interior
Northeast.

Extreme
temperatures
cause
technical
failures
that
result
in
delays.

High
heat
creates
thin
air,
which
hampers
the
plane’s
thrust
for
takeoff
and
ascent.
That
means
airplanes
need
more
runway
for
takeoff
or
a
lighter
aircraft
—
by
removing
baggage
or
passengers.
And
it
means
that
very
high
temperatures
increase
the
risk
of
flight
cancellations.
The
best
bet
to
avoid
this
risk
is
to
take
early
morning
and
late-night
flights.

Good
news
to
reduce
travel
anxiety

If
travelers
prepare
and
secure
backup
plans,
they
can
make
the
best
out
of
the
busy
summer
season.
And
despite
travel
anxiety
and
a
cascade
of
uncertain
factors,
travel
expert
and
managing
editor
at
The
Points
Guy,
Clint
Henderson,
says
airlines
and
airports
are
so
far
showing
signs
of
being
better
prepared
than
past
years.

Despite
May
issues
and
despite
some

airlines
pulling
back
on
overall
hiring
plans
compared
to
past
years,
in
part
due
to
Boeing
delays,
Henderson
said,
“We
have
not
seen
the
major
meltdowns
that
we
saw
a
couple
of
years
ago.
And
I
think
part
of
the
reason
for
that
is
the
airlines
and
the
airports,
and
everyone
from
Uber
to
rental
car
companies,
you
know,
you
name
it,
everyone
staffed
back
up.”

United
Airlines
has
projected
a
7%
increase
in
flyers
from
the
2023
Independence
Day
week,
and
is
adapting
with
new
staff.
American
Airlines
is
slated
for
10%
more
summer
departures
year
over
year.

Improvements
in
coordination
for
air
traffic
controllers
are
also
taking
place.
“The
federal
government
and
local
ATC
towers
have
been
working
together
better,
and
that
includes
the
military.
They’ve
opened
up
military
airspace
to
help
accommodate
the
crowd,
so
we
have
seen
snarls,”
Henderson
said.
“There
is
still
a
shortage
of
air
traffic
controllers,
but
it
hasn’t
led
to
the
worst
outcomes
that
we
were
expecting
when
we
were
talking
about
the
shortage
of
air
traffic
control
workers
even
a
year
ago.”

That
said,
he
warns
that
in
severe
weather,
a
shortage
of
air
traffic
control
may
still
worsen
delays
for
travelers.

Tips
for
Independence
Day
travel

With
lower-than-expected
prices,
many
more
flyers
this
summer
are
infrequent
flyers,
who
should
start
by
signing
up
for
airline
apps
which
may
offer
them
some
introductory
benefits,
starting
with
miles
and
extending
to
free
WiFi
on
some
flights.

Henderson
said
the
easiest
ways
to
save
hours
of
wait
times
include
signing
up
for
programs
that
offer
passengers
faster
movement
through
security,
including
TSA
PreCheck
and
Clear,
as
well
as
the
no-application-required
Mobile
Passport
Control
app,
which
allows
users
to
go
through
an
expedited
U.S.
Customs
lane.

He
also
recommended
the
“Flighty”
tracker
app,
or
similar
flight
tracker,
to
stay
on
top
of
options
in
the
event
flight
status
changes.
Flyers
need
to
also
stay
on
top
of
the
routes
that
the
planes
they
plan
to
take
are
already
traveling
on,
to
catch
issues
at
other
airports
which
could
ultimately
cause
a
cascade
of
cancellations.

“If
your
flight
gets
canceled,
you’re
competing
with
all
those
people
on
that
plane
to
get
on
the
next
available
flight.
So
if
you
have
a
head
start
on
those
people,
you’re
going
to
be
the
winner,”
Henderson
said.
When
it
comes
to
traveling
during
peak
season,
“Information
is
power,”
he
said.

Cheaper
airfares
may
not
be
here
to
stay

Airfares
are
down,
but
many
factors
influence
price,
from
the
specific
destination
of
a
traveler,
with
wide
variation
in
prices
depending
on
route,
to
how
far
in
advance
tickets
are
purchased,
midweek
travel
versus
weekend
dates,
and
what
additional
fees
(e.g.
baggage)
may
push
up
the
total
cost
of
travel
significantly.

In
addition,
with
issues
lingering
in
the
supply
of
new
planes,
from
Boeing
production
being
curtailed
by
the
FAA
to
Airbus
running
into
supply
chain
snafus,
the
recent
dip
in
fares
may
not
last
too
long.
Henderson
eventually
expects
price
hikes
from
airlines
related
to
increasing
maintenance
costs
and
reduced
fleet
capacity.

Labor
costs
and
fuel

costs
per
flight
skyrocketed
in
the
past
year.
With
production
delays,
airlines
pay
billions
to
fly
less
fuel-efficient
and
more
costly
and
aged
jets.
Technical
issues
are
more
common
on
older
plans
and
increase
delays
as
well.

On
June
26,

Southwest
Airlines
cut
its
second-quarter
revenue
forecast
while
citing
booking
concerns.
The
firm
announced
a
decline
in
expected
revenue
per
seat
per
mile,
and
fuel
costs
increasing
up
to
7.5%
year
over
year.

But
for
now,
even
with
rising
costs,
flight
prices
have
yet
to
return
to
their
summer
2023
peaks,
and
consumers
are
taking
advantage.
Henderson
said
many
last-minute
travel
deals
that
airlines
are
offering
this
summer
are
still
available.
Even
if
the
security
lines
are
long,
prices
on
many
routes
should
not
weigh
travelers
down.
Hopefully,
neither
will
delays
and
cancellations.