Another airline service meltdown is coming. It’s not a question of if, but when it will happen. And this one could make last holiday’s airline problems look like a minor delay.
Says who? Say experts. Says the Federal Aviation Administration. Says everyone.
“There may be some pain ahead for summer travelers,” warns Mike Taylor, a managing director at J.D. Power. “Even with airlines taking precautions, the industry’s basic infrastructure hasn’t recovered from the pandemic. There’s a pilot shortage — and everyone wants to fly.”
Even the FAA is sounding the alarm. This spring, when the agency renewed its waiver for takeoff and landing slots at the busiest East Coast airports, it predicted a 45% increase in delays at New York-area airports this summer compared to the same period a year ago. That sounds like a whole summer’s worth of meltdowns to me.
The U.S. Travel Association predicts this summer will be a “stress test” for the air travel system. A recent survey commissioned by the organization suggests we’ve already gotten a preview, with 35% of Americans having reported a delay or cancellation in the past 12 months. No surprise, then, that only about one-third of recent air travelers (32%) are “very satisfied” with their air travel experience.
Comments