US airlines gear up for 'Super Bowl' of travel season
After two successive summers of travel chaos, U.S. airlines are going all out to prevent large-scale flight disruptions in the face of rising demand
Carriers have trimmed flight schedules, beefed up staffing, and invested in airport infrastructure and technology to be ready for the busiest travel season of the year, starting with the traditional kickoff on the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Key takeaways
- Industry group Airlines for America estimates a record 256.8 million passengers will fly in the June-August quarter, up 1% over the 254.6 million passengers in the same period in 2019;
- Carriers are performing far better this year, but a shortage of air traffic controllers has forced them to trim New York City-area flights. They are flying larger planes to compensate for fewer flights;
- United said it has hired 7,000 employees including pilots, flight attendants, ramp workers and customer service agents this year on top of 15,000 last year.
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