US airlines brace for heavy Labor Day air travel
The last major travel weekend of the summer is set to be a busy one for US airlines, which are facing pressure from federal regulators to smooth operations following a summer of disruptions. Delta anticipates carrying about 2.9m air travellers in the 1-6 September period, which includes the weekend ahead of the Labor Day holiday on 5 September, the airline tells FlightGlobal. That figure is a significant increase from the 2.5m passengers Delta carried during the same period last year but still down from 3.1m passengers in pre-pandemic 2019, Delta says. The weekend is off to a less-than-ideal start, with 17.7% of US airlines’ flights delayed and 1% cancelled on 1 September, according to FlightAware.com’s database. American Airlines has cancelled the most flights today, with Southwest Airlines having the most delays, data shows. United Airlines says it expects roughly the same volume of passengers this Labor Day period as in 2019 – some 2.6m passengers, which is 20% more than last year’s 2.1m. The weekend is expected to be the fourth-busiest for air travel so far this year, behind the weekends aligned with Juneteenth, Presidents Day and Memorial Day, according to the FAA. The surge in air travellers packed airports across the country on 1-2 September – the busiest days for departures for American, which anticipates operating more than 5,600 flights each day, the carrier says. American expects to carry about 2.5m passengers between 1-5 September, it adds. On 2 September, the FAA warned delays were possible at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport, Dallas Fort Worth International airport, Miami International airport and other major hubs across the USA. Southwest, which declined to specify how many passengers it will transport this weekend, advised customers to arrive early and allow extra time for checking baggage and clearing security. <br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-09-05/general/us-airlines-brace-for-heavy-labor-day-air-travel
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US airlines brace for heavy Labor Day air travel
The last major travel weekend of the summer is set to be a busy one for US airlines, which are facing pressure from federal regulators to smooth operations following a summer of disruptions. Delta anticipates carrying about 2.9m air travellers in the 1-6 September period, which includes the weekend ahead of the Labor Day holiday on 5 September, the airline tells FlightGlobal. That figure is a significant increase from the 2.5m passengers Delta carried during the same period last year but still down from 3.1m passengers in pre-pandemic 2019, Delta says. The weekend is off to a less-than-ideal start, with 17.7% of US airlines’ flights delayed and 1% cancelled on 1 September, according to FlightAware.com’s database. American Airlines has cancelled the most flights today, with Southwest Airlines having the most delays, data shows. United Airlines says it expects roughly the same volume of passengers this Labor Day period as in 2019 – some 2.6m passengers, which is 20% more than last year’s 2.1m. The weekend is expected to be the fourth-busiest for air travel so far this year, behind the weekends aligned with Juneteenth, Presidents Day and Memorial Day, according to the FAA. The surge in air travellers packed airports across the country on 1-2 September – the busiest days for departures for American, which anticipates operating more than 5,600 flights each day, the carrier says. American expects to carry about 2.5m passengers between 1-5 September, it adds. On 2 September, the FAA warned delays were possible at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport, Dallas Fort Worth International airport, Miami International airport and other major hubs across the USA. Southwest, which declined to specify how many passengers it will transport this weekend, advised customers to arrive early and allow extra time for checking baggage and clearing security. <br/>
