Analysis: US airlines gear up for 'Super Bowl' of travel season

After two successive summers of travel chaos, US airlines are going all out to prevent large-scale flight disruptions in the face of rising demand. Carriers have trimmed flight schedules, beefed up staffing, and invested in airport infrastructure and technology to be ready for the busiest travel season of the year, starting with the traditional kickoff on the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Summer tends to be the most profitable season for airlines, but it is also the busiest time of the year, raising the stakes. The TSA said Friday it screened 2.658m passengers on Thursday, the highest number in a single day since November 2019. Industry group Airlines for America estimates a record 256.8m passengers will fly in the June-August quarter, up 1% over the 254.6m passengers in the same period in 2019. "It is kind of our Super Bowl," United COO Toby Enqvist told Reuters. No one wants a repeat of last December, when an operational meltdown at Southwest Airlines resulted in almost 17,000 flight cancellations, disrupting travel plans for 2m customers. The desire to travel for many is high, however. Jihane Jeanty, 36, has planned trips to Florida, Mexico City and Asia this summer, thanks to her flexible work arrangement. The Los Angeles-based marketing director is unconcerned about flight delays and cancellations even though they are "never fun." "It does happen, so I really don't let it throw me anymore," she said. Nearly a quarter of flights were either canceled or delayed last summer, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.<br/>