Travel experts project summer 2022 will be a hectic time for the airline industry, which is still recovering from COVID-19. Here’s how it may impact travelers’ summer itineraries.
Increased demand
“People really, for the last 18 to 24 months, [have] been stir crazy not going anywhere,” Ted Bradpiece, president of a Los Angeles-based travel agency, said. “And finally being at the point where they need to get out.”
Summer surge
According to the Transportation Security Agency, more than 2 million passengers a day took to the skies in March. Those numbers are twice the reported 1.2 million people who traveled in March 2021 and 300,000 passengers shy of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Staffing shortages
While some airlines have reported record-breaking profits from ticket sales, not all carriers are fully staffed.
According to Bloomberg, airlines lost more than 300,000 workers during COVID-19.
“And as you bring them [pilots and flight crew] back on, depending on how long they have been laid off for determines how long their recertification training is. It can be anywhere from maybe a week, up to six weeks,” Bradpiece said.
Fewer flights
Ahead of summer, several airlines, including Spirit, JetBlue, Alaska, and Southwest, have slashed routes and flights from their schedules. While flights face regular delays and cancellations due to weather, air traffic control, and computer glitches, a delayed flight could now cost travelers vacation days.
“Let’s put it this way, it’s not guaranteed that they’re [travelers] necessarily going to get there on the day that they want to get there,” Bradpiece said.
Jet fuel costs
On top of planes idling, the Russia-Ukraine War makes jet fuel more expensive and complicated to get at some airports. In response, airlines are passing those costs on to passengers.
Reuters contributed to this report.
