The Heat Is On

As airlines add new flights for summertime travel, passengers may still encounter issues due to staff shortages and fewer aircraft

- JT Genter

“IT’S GOING TO be a rough summer for air travel.” That’s the message we’ve heard loud and clear from airlines, analysts and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). And this isn’t just due to travel demand returning to normal after years of fitful recovery. Instead, airlines are still trying to figure out a “new normal” while also dealing with complicating factors, from FAA staffing shortages to aircraft manufacturing delays.

Airlines Warn of Full Flights This Summer 

The warnings about a busy summer amped up in mid-April. During Delta’s first-quarter conference call, CEO Ed Bastian noted that the airline was experiencing “record advance summer bookings.” President Glen Hauenstein added that the Atlanta-based airline had already sold 75 percent of seats on international flights and was “seeing strong demand on our largest-ever summer schedule” between the U.S. and Europe.

These full aircraft are despite Delta significantly increasing the number of flights this summer—particularly on international routes. “To meet demand, we are growing our international seats by more than 20 percent in the June quarter compared to the prior year,” Hauenstein explained on the call. Delta’s 32 European destinations this summer include new routes from New York to Geneva and Berlin and from Atlanta to Düsseldorf and Edinburgh.