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Reuters/Joshua Roberts/2022
An American Airlines aircraft taxis a Delta Air Lines aircraft as it lands at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
WASHINGTON >> A group representing major U.S. airlines predicts summer travel by airlines will hit a record high, carrying 271 million passengers, up 6.3% from last year.
Airlines for America said Tuesday that U.S. airlines plan to operate more than 26,000 daily flights this summer, an increase of nearly 1,400 (5.6%) compared to 2023, when they carried 255 million passengers. ) announced plans to increase. The summer travel season is expected to run from June 1st to August 31st.
American Airlines has announced that it will increase the number of flights it flies by 10% this summer.
United Airlines expects a record 3 million travelers to fly during the Memorial Day travel period, May 23-28, an increase of nearly 10%. Delta Air Lines said it expects customer numbers to increase 5% over the Memorial Day weekend, May 23-27, to nearly 3 million.
The forecast comes as the Federal Aviation Administration struggles to address a chronic shortage of air traffic controllers. Some airlines voluntarily cut flights to New York last summer to deal with congestion issues.
The FAA announced in March that it would move control of Newark, New Jersey airspace to Philadelphia by June 30 to address staffing and traffic congestion in the New York City area.
Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand last week called on the FAA to reverse its plan to force 17 air traffic controllers from New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) to Philadelphia.
Some facilities are requiring air traffic controllers to work overtime and work six days a week to make up for the shortage. The FAA agency has about 3,000 air traffic controllers meeting its staffing goals, and the agency announced last fall that the number of certified air traffic controllers was about 10,700, about the same as the previous year.
Airlines can lose takeoff and landing slots at busy airports if they don't fully utilize them. The FAA extended these minimum flight requirement reductions at New York City-area airports through October, citing staffing issues, and major airlines last month asked for it to be extended through October 2025. (Reporting by David Shepherdson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Michael Elman)
