Airlines Brace For Record-Breaking Memorial Day Weekend Travel Surge

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The unofficial start of summer is expected to see a massive rise in travel as Americans make the most of the Memorial Day weekend, with air travel set to exceed pre-pandemic levels.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) estimated that 3.4 million people are expected to fly between Thursday to Monday, based on figures prepared in mid-April—an increase of 11 percent compared to 2022. It also estimated there would be 170,000 more passengers than in 2019.

United Airlines and American Airlines, two of the nation’s biggest carriers, both told business news magazine Barron’s on Thursday they expected to see around 2.9 million customers travel with them—a total of 5.8 million—between Thursday and Tuesday. This suggests the number of passengers flying may be far higher than the AAA predicted.

Travelers arrive for flights at O’Hare Airport on May 25, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. AAA projects about 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day weekend, 3.4 million by air.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

With the prospect of packed airports, there are concerns of a repeat of the mass delays and cancellations the industry struggled to cope with during a surge in air passengers in 2022.

“This is expected to be the third-busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000, when AAA started tracking holiday travel,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement on May 15. “This summer travel season could be one for the record books, especially at airports.”

Amy Lawrence, an American Airlines spokesperson told Newsweek it had 17,600 more team members this summer than in 2021.

“We’ve invested in our operational resilience for this summer,” she said. “We’re nimbler, more adaptable and are structurally better prepared.”

Across all forms of travel, the AAA expects 42.3 million Americans—around 13 percent of the nation’s total population—to travel 50 miles or more, a rise of 7 percent on last year.

Despite making up just 8 percent of estimated holiday travel, experts have linked the rise in air passengers to the ending of the coronavirus pandemic and the change in holiday patterns it has caused.

Clint Henderson, managing news editor for The Points Guy, a travel news and advice outlet, told NewsNation on Friday that destinations such as Las Vegas and Florida were attracting the highest prices at present.

“Places like Mexico, Florida really stayed open during the pandemic,” he said. “A lot of people started going to these destinations and they have surged in popularity.”

Last summer was the worst on record for flight cancellations and many people faced severe delays—attributed in part to a lack of airport and flight staff caused by the pandemic.

The Federal Aviation Administration has also struggled with a shortage of air traffic controllers. The agency’s chief operating officer told staff in March that it was taking steps to improve operations after “too many close calls” that threatened safety, Reuters reported at the time.

Speaking to CBS News on Thursday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said federal agencies involved in the aviation industry and airlines were improving their staffing levels.

“We’re hiring up, staffing up,” he said. “Meanwhile, the airlines—which are responsible for a much greater share of the delays and cancellations—have made improvements since we really put that pressure on them a year ago.”

Airlines appear to be optimistic that they can handle the rise in air travellers. Delta Airlines expected 2.8 million customers to fly with them between Thursday and Tuesday, an increase of 17 percent on 2022.

The company’s CEO, Ed Bastian, told CBS Mornings on May 17 that while airlines struggled with a “rough travel season” last year, “we are, not just at Delta but the industry, in such a better shape [this year]. Delta, specifically, [has] hired over 25,000 people—hired and trained, and they’re ready to go.”

According to FlightAware, there have been 70 flight cancellations in the U.S. so far on Friday, and 120 on Thursday. However, there were 5,615 flights delayed on Thursday, and 727 as of 9 a.m. ET on Friday.

A Delta Airlines spokesperson noted they had so far only had two cancellations on Friday.

“Our department will continue to work with airlines to reduce airspace congestion and increase system capacity,” Buttigieg tweeted on Thursday. “We will also hold them accountable for reimbursing air travelers fairly in the event of a controllable delay or cancellation.”

Newsweek approached American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Airlines via email for comment on Friday.

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