There is a possibility that a record number of Americans will fly this summer

Is the Silicon Valley financial crisis really in trouble? Why it shouldn’t happen: The lack of air traffic controllers is industry’s biggest biggest issue united-airlines-ceo-s

The economy is balanced on a knife’s edge. When the banking scare in Silicon Valley occurred, we noticed a 15% drop in business travel bookings. That tells you how much trouble the economy is in. Defaulting on the debt would be an unnecessary unforced error and we just shouldn’t do it. To me, our politicians — and this is a bipartisan comment – need on both sides to find a compromise and not let this happen because it’s just a really big risk. Maybe it winds up lasting one or two days and no big deal. But there’s a lot of dominos lined up and they’re really fragile. If it starts knocking over the dominoes, it can go from a debt default to a banking crisis or something else. That’s the real risk, and it would just be crazy for us to not get this done.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/05/24/1177847284/lack-of-air-traffic-controllers-is-industrys-biggest-issue-united-airlines-ceo-s

I’ve been there, but I’m afraid I can’t afford it. I’ll be there, and I know I will. I am going to go back to COVID

But I think the most important point is safety. Every employee is drilled from Day One that safety is the number one priority. You don’t think about costs. If you start saying that there’s a lot of expenses associated with postponing or canceling this flight, I don’t want the pilot or mechanic to say, “Well, this is a close call.”

I saw the secretary of transportation two weeks ago, and I’ll tell you exactly what I said to him, which is we have every motivation to run a reliable operation because that’s what’s best for our customers, which means that’s what’s best for our business. We are doing that. By far the biggest issue that we have is the weather and air traffic control delays. It is chronic every day. Every day we wake up to restrictions in the amount of capacity that we can have, which causes problems throughout the system.

The prices have returned to their pre-pandemic levels. Fares collapsed during COVID. If you return to pre-pandemic, they remain lower than they were 10 years ago, but I think we have returned to normal. With inflation in the economy, my guess is that fares will go up as well. But they’re never going to go back to the artificial lows of COVID.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/05/24/1177847284/lack-of-air-traffic-controllers-is-industrys-biggest-issue-united-airlines-ceo-s

The FAA Pilots’ Best Interest: A New Airline Safety Contract and the FAA’s Isolation Problem. I’m Getting Closer

We put the deal on the table because we think the pilots deserve an industry- leading contract. It includes significant work rule enhancements. There are a lot of changes that they requested in the contract, and an awful lot of changes that we’ve agreed to, and it’s just taking a little time. But the deal that we have on the table is a better deal than either the Delta [Airlines] deal or the recently announced American [Airlines] deal. I hope that we are getting close to the finish line.

By the way, it’s not the FAA’s fault – this is a 20- to 30-year-old issue. They simply don’t have the Congressional authorization. We are working hard to get 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 to address the issue.

There is nothing you can do when the weather is bad. But what you can do is recover quickly. We want to isolated the problem to the day and the location where the weather is, so it doesn’t affect the rest of the system. We’re pretty good at that. It’s not every day that it’s possible when the weather is rolling across the country. But for the most part, if a storm hits Denver and closes the airport for a few hours, we’ve gotten pretty good at isolating it to just that day and that airport.

The Rise of Air Travel Disruptions in the U.S. During the March Breakout of WWII, Airlines and the Consumer Lobby

An investigation by the Government Accountability Office has found that the recent increase in flight disruptions is likely due to factors within airlines’ control, such as maintenance issues, technology problems and staffing issues.

This coming Memorial Day weekend could be the busiest in years for air travel. Close to 3.5 million travelers are expected to fly this weekend, according to AAA — a more than five percent increase over 2019.

The coming months are likely to be a stress test for the national aviation system due to recent staffing shortages, antiquated technology, air traffic control problems, scheduling issues and labor disputes.

The U.S. Travel Association, which represents airlines, hotels and other travel related businesses, says that this summer’s travel demand could potentially be the strongest ever.

Nick Calio, president and CEO of Airlines for America, which represents the nation’s biggest air carriers, said they were “as prepared as we can possibly be”. “We’ve got a lot more employees. We have reduced our schedules and adjusted how we’re flying,” in an effort to minimize flight disruptions.

Air travelers had a tough year last year. They were as bad as they’ve been in 25 years or more,” says Andre Delattre, national program director for PIRG, the Public Interest Research Group. The consumer advocacy group analyzed airline passenger complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Despite the fact that the government spent $50 billion to keep airlines in business and pilots, flight attendants, and other employees on the payroll, airlines offered early retirements and other incentives to encourage their workers to leave.

Demand for air travel rebounded much faster than the airlines expected. Many tried to cash in with aggressive scheduling, however the staff was too thin to meet the demand, and flight crews were forced to leave because there wasn’t enough crew members to replace them. It would take some airlines a week or more to get caught up from a single series of storms because of the unavailability of replacements and planes.

American and its rival airlines all say they’re much better prepared for this summer than last. A record number of passengers have been hired by passenger airlines in March alone, with nearly 4,500 new employees.

Despite the warnings of industry experts, travelers still should be prepared for significant flight delays and cancellation due to things outside the airlines’ control.

While the Biden administration is turning up the heat on the airlines to fulfill their obligations to passengers, the airlines are growing frustrated with the federal government’s own aviation shortcomings.

The FAA is concerned that a lack of air traffic controllers will increase flight delays in the New York area by 45% this summer.

The waits for international travelers to return to the U.S. in airports because of Customs and Border Protection staffing shortages are longer than they should be.

“These problems have come out of years and years of underinvestment,” Freeman says. “If the government doesn’t act now, the headaches won’t just happen during peak travel season and holidays, it will become our daily reality.”

Airline passengers who run into problems from flight disruptions to lost luggage this summer can find out more about their rights and the airlines’ responsibilities at the Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection. The site also links to a dashboard listing which airlines are willing to pay for meals, ground transportation, hotels and other expenses incurred because of significant delays and cancellations that are the airline’s fault. Consumers can file complaints on the site that it links to.

When storms develop later in the afternoon and evening, experts recommend booking flights earlier in the day. It is a good idea to check the weather forecast for your destinations and any places where you have a layover. The FAA has a site showing where severe weather may cause problems for air travelers each day.

Use the airline’s app to track not just whether your flight is on time, but where the plane is coming from and if there are delays there. Book nonstop flights, if possible, so you don’t get stranded on a layover.

Travelers who are checking luggage should also be sure to pack an extra change of clothes or two and medications and other necessities in their carry-on bag, in case there’s a significant delay or cancellation after you’ve checked in.