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During the pandemic, many Americans longed for all the trips they were missing. But when they show up at the airport for their first flight since early 2020, many find flights delayed and canceled. If you type “delayed flight” into the Twitter search bar, there will be new messages almost every minute from people complaining that they have disappeared. flight connections, work events, and weddings.
Delays and cancellations this summer have become a common problem for the entire industry. Southwest Airlines delayed 40% and canceled 3% of its flights in June, according to tracking service Flightaware.com. American Airlines delayed 34% and canceled 3%. These numbers have increased since before the pandemic: According to the US Department of Transportation, on average, airlines delayed 27% of flights in June 2019 and canceled 2%. The main reasons businesses are struggling and abandoning passengers now are understaffing and inclement weather. Thunderstorms caused disruption at least at airports in Atlanta, Minneapolis and Detroit, heat affected flights to and from Las Vegas, and smoke from wildfires in California, Denver and Idaho forced companies to cancel and delay flights at the Denver airport.
My friend Gladys recently told me about her terrible air travel experience. On July 11, she returned to Phoenix after a weekend getaway to Los Angeles. His Frontier flight was scheduled for around 5 p.m. First, he was delayed an hour. Then, after an hour of waiting, the passengers received another email: The flight was canceled. “There was no one from Frontier to ask questions. The office in front of the gate was empty, ”Gladys told me. “One of the passengers told me that two weeks ago her Frontier flight from Los Angeles to Phoenix was also canceled and that she had to drive her family car for six hours instead. arrived again. When finally, two Frontier employees showed up in front of the stressed crowd, they explained that the reason for the cancellation was the heat. The plane for the flight was unable to take off from Las Vegas because the The temperature had reached 117 degrees. Gladys ended up getting a refund from Frontier for her $ 50 flight and took a Greyhound bus (more expensive).
The weather often creates headaches related to air travel in the summer, but this time they are exacerbated by the pandemic. In June, American Airlines announced that it would proactively reduce 1% of its July flights (approximately 1,000 flights). “The first weeks of June brought unprecedented weather conditions to our largest hubs, which had a huge impact on our operations and resulted in delays, canceled flights and disruptions in crew member schedules and our clients’ plans. … This, combined with the labor shortages some of our suppliers face and the incredibly rapid rise in customer demand, has resulted in us building the resilience and certainty of our operations by adjusting a fraction of our flights scheduled until mid-July. A spokesperson told CNN. One problem: Due to the pandemic, many employees, including 1,600 American Airlines pilots, have been put on leave. To return to work, pilots must successfully retrain , which takes time In a storm, pilots can reach the maximum working hours per day, and companies do not have enough reserves to replace them.
The industry is also lacking other employees. Stephanie Richardson complained on Facebook that her Southwest flight was delayed on July 9 because of a lack of flight attendants. Another traveler, Iva Yates, pointed out the lack of customer service staff. “JetBlue really needs to hire more people. I was on hold for almost two hours to talk about my delayed flight and my missed connection, ”she wrote on Twitter.
Several months ago, those risks were the price travelers paid for cheap tickets. But now, flying isn’t even cheap. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report, air fares rose 3% in June after increasing 7% in May and 10% in April. More and more people are ready to return to the skies after being vaccinated, so airlines are taking advantage of the increased demand for travel. Zach Griff, travel analyst at The Points Guy, says it wasn’t hard to find $ 29 transcontinental flights between New York and Los Angeles or $ 19 tickets for shorter regional jumps during a large part of the pandemic, but now it “might feel like winning the lottery.” “After more than a year of selling fares, airlines are focused on increasing their returns, which comes down to ultimately to an increase in ticket prices, ”explains Zach Griff.
Tickets will be more and more expensive, according to the forecasts of specialists. Travel research and analysis firm Hopper predicts round-trip domestic flights will cost an average of $ 283 for the June-August period, up 35% from the summer of 2020, when it was 209 $. However, this is still 4% less than two years ago. To save money on travel, Griff suggests postponing the vacation until the fall. “[M]all popular destinations will be less crowded and it will be cheaper to get there, ”he says.
For those still planning a summer trip and haven’t booked tickets yet, analysts recommend avoiding popular places like Bozeman, Montana and Jackson Hole, Wyoming (closest airports to Yellowstone National Park). It might also be helpful to check out two of the newest budget airlines in the United States. “Avelo Airlines and Breeze Airways launched their service earlier this year, with fares starting at $ 39,” suggests Griff.
Once you’ve purchased tickets, you’ll need to be patient and prepared for any surprises at the airport. Download the app for the airline you are traveling with, as this is the fastest way to find out about schedule changes and take snacks with you (many airport restaurants are still closed) in case where the flight would be delayed. If the worst happens and the flight is canceled, it is important to know that you are entitled to a refund, even if the ticket is not refundable.
Future Tense is a partnership between Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
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