US airlines ready for busier holiday travel after 2022 meltdown

US AIRLINES say they are prepared for the busier end of year holiday travel compared with the same peak period a year earlier, when storms led to thousands of cancelled flights and congestion.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday (Dec 21) was set to be the busiest travel day of the week. According to the Transportation Security Administration, the official holiday period runs from Thursday to Jan 2, 2024.

US airline trade group Airlines for America (A4A) expects carriers to fly more than 39 million passengers during the holidays, or about 2.8 million passengers a day, up 16 per cent from 2022.

Airlines and airports in the US and Canada have hired workers and upgraded equipment in some cases to avoid last year’s congestion. US passenger airlines have the largest workforce in the last two decades, A4A said.

In 2022, a high-profile operational meltdown at Southwest Airlines led to around 17,000 cancelled flights and cost the carrier more than US$1 billion, along with a historic penalty from the US Department of Transportation.

Canada’s largest airport has also increased staffing, expanded de-icing and added new advanced snowploughs, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority said. The airport wrestled with congestion during peak travel periods last year that led to hard limits on flights.

United Airlines has forecast to have its busiest-ever end of year holiday travel season, with around nine million passengers.

However, it does not currently expect weather to cause any operational interruptions, a spokesperson said.

US airlines expect demand to grow for sun destinations this holiday period, with seats flown from the US to Caribbean resort destinations up 18 per cent in 2023 on an annual basis, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

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