As the United States prepares for what some in the industry call “airmageddon,” travelers are preparing for a possible collapse of airlines, airports and security and customs checkpoints, not to mention hotels. and hotel services.
AAA predicts that approximately 42 million Americans will make a road trip by car of 50 miles or more.
But the real crisis: 3.5 million people are expected to fly this holiday weekend. Airline tickets cost, on average, 14% more, and in some markets have quadrupled. And hotel rates have risen 23% since 2021.
And all of this is happening as major airlines and travel entities discuss delays and cancellations. Airlines are blaming the Federal Aviation Administration for the delays, the FAA claims airlines are making schedules they can’t physically support, pilots blame airlines for increased workload and hours of flight claiming they could be a safety issue, passenger complaints against airlines are 300% more than in 2019, and the U.S. Department of Transportation is contemplating emergency rule-making options.
Cancellations and flight delays cause holiday travel problems 03:18
Heathrow and Gatwick in London are canceling flights on a precautionary basis and government officials are considering implementing a price increase for aircraft scheduled to operate during peak hours.
And travelers at Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Dublin Schiphol Airport have experienced long queues, thousands of flight cancellations and thousands of lost and lost luggage.
In the U.S., the DOT reports that airlines have lost or mishandled 21% more bags this year than last.
Earlier this week, Delta issued an unprecedented “air exemption” for the July 4 weekend to its customers, citing “operational challenges”. The airline admitted that it was expecting problems to support its schedule, meaning they do not have enough pilots, flight attendants, baggage handlers and other employees to customize all their scheduled flights, among other challenges, over the next few days. four days, and encouraged travelers to re-book for other flights and other days without being charged any fare or penalty. The airline was basically asking its passengers what they didn’t want. No other US airline has so far matched this exemption.
Many U.S. airlines continue to blame the staff of air traffic control centers, whose workers are employees of the Federal Aviation Administration. But the U.S. Department of Transportation says most airline delays have nothing to do with downtown staff. Airlines are also parking dozens of 50-seat regional planes because they don’t have pilots to fly them, and because at current fuel prices the planes are not profitable to operate. Translation: Secondary market cities in the United States, such as Ithaca, New York, and Toledo, Ohio, will have significantly reduced — or, in some cases, not — air service for Labor Day.
In the U.S., the DOT is considering imposing financial consequences on airlines that publish unrealistic flight schedules, and the rules could force airlines to show that they can support flights with the proper allocation of staff before they are issued. allow these flights to be scheduled. They also talk about charging airlines more to schedule flights at rush hours at 8 am or 5 pm, known as congestion prices, as well as considering asking airlines to reschedule 30% of their flights. your flights to depart between 20:00 and 12:00, because night flights experience fewer delays.
But while airlines cancel flights and reduce frequencies, Amtrak is a bright spot for travel, increasing its schedules and making trains run more frequently as an increasing number of passengers switch to trains for passenger travel. short and medium distance. And while the AAA reports the total number of Americans expected to drive this weekend, they haven’t estimated how many people will be in each car, and that number has also grown as the cost of tickets aircraft has risen sharply again. Not only will it be full of people on the roads, but it will be full of people in cars.
A second ray of hope: future bookings of airlines and hotels and resorts for after September 15 have fallen off a cliff. One reason is seasonality: children go back to school and parents back to work. But the high cost of travel for the summer of 2022 could mean that for many Americans, when September arrives, they will make trips for the rest of the year. Those looking for better airfare and more seats available for frequent flyer awards can find more affordable bookings from September to December 15th.