Record-breaking summer for flights across Atlantic tests demand for travel
US and European airlines have embarked on a record-breaking summer of transatlantic flying, in a test of demand for travel on some of the world’s most lucrative routes. There are nearly 418,000 flights scheduled between the US and Europe from April to October, 7% higher than the record set last year, according to aviation data consultancy OAG. Airlines bosses have reported particularly strong demand from US travellers visiting Europe, buoyed by the strong dollar. “A lot of Americans are walking the streets of London, as they are in many other great destinations across Europe,” said Ed Bastian, chief executive of US carrier Delta. European tourists are also travelling the other way in significant numbers, and capacity along transatlantic routes has boomed. The sheer numbers of flights laid on this summer will test the operational resilience of airlines, which have seen disruptions from IT problems and air traffic control staff shortages. On Friday, airlines were among the companies hit by the world-wide IT outage blamed on a software update which caused a problem with Microsoft’s Windows. Capacity along transatlantic routes exceeds where it was in July 2019, while it has shrunk on routes to Asia, from either the US or Europe. United Airlines scheduled the most seats in July — more than 722,000, up 3% from July 2023 — while British Airways has planned more than 419,000 seats, slightly more than one year earlier. Meanwhile, Air France boosted its seating capacity by more than 15%to 279,000 seats, the largest increase among transatlantic carriers, according to aviation data provider Cirium. Virgin Atlantic recorded its highest ever revenue for passengers travelling from the US to the UK last month, while in the other direction, flagged particular interest from UK travellers flying to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Florida. The booming demand for travel across the Atlantic comes amid signs of a wobble in the US domestic market, with some investors asking if capacity oversupply could bleed into the US-Europe routes.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-07-22/general/record-breaking-summer-for-flights-across-atlantic-tests-demand-for-travel
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Record-breaking summer for flights across Atlantic tests demand for travel
US and European airlines have embarked on a record-breaking summer of transatlantic flying, in a test of demand for travel on some of the world’s most lucrative routes. There are nearly 418,000 flights scheduled between the US and Europe from April to October, 7% higher than the record set last year, according to aviation data consultancy OAG. Airlines bosses have reported particularly strong demand from US travellers visiting Europe, buoyed by the strong dollar. “A lot of Americans are walking the streets of London, as they are in many other great destinations across Europe,” said Ed Bastian, chief executive of US carrier Delta. European tourists are also travelling the other way in significant numbers, and capacity along transatlantic routes has boomed. The sheer numbers of flights laid on this summer will test the operational resilience of airlines, which have seen disruptions from IT problems and air traffic control staff shortages. On Friday, airlines were among the companies hit by the world-wide IT outage blamed on a software update which caused a problem with Microsoft’s Windows. Capacity along transatlantic routes exceeds where it was in July 2019, while it has shrunk on routes to Asia, from either the US or Europe. United Airlines scheduled the most seats in July — more than 722,000, up 3% from July 2023 — while British Airways has planned more than 419,000 seats, slightly more than one year earlier. Meanwhile, Air France boosted its seating capacity by more than 15%to 279,000 seats, the largest increase among transatlantic carriers, according to aviation data provider Cirium. Virgin Atlantic recorded its highest ever revenue for passengers travelling from the US to the UK last month, while in the other direction, flagged particular interest from UK travellers flying to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Florida. The booming demand for travel across the Atlantic comes amid signs of a wobble in the US domestic market, with some investors asking if capacity oversupply could bleed into the US-Europe routes.<br/>
