US airport congestion now a common occurrence

New York

THANKSGIVING weekend has traditionally been the busiest time of the year for air travel, but that distinction is quickly becoming a thing of the past. With airlines merging and consolidating operations in fewer hubs, congestion that was once characteristic of the holiday is becoming more common at major airports all year-round.

The change follows a string of megamergers that left four big carriers controlling about 80 per cent of airlines' seat capacity, down from 11 in 2005. It might take another year to assess the impact of these mergers - American Airlines and US Airways have not yet integrated their operations - but fliers can already get a glimpse of the future of air travel.

"What was once the exception slowly becomes the rule," said Erik Hansen, the senior director of policy at the US Travel Association, a trade group. It found that 13 of the nation's top 30 airports already experienced Thanksgiving-like congestion and traffic at least one day a week. "People will see our airports bursting at the sea…