Airlines for America (A4A) and CQ Roll Call recently hosted the Summer Travel Summit 2023, where they announced that US airlines are projected to carry an all-time high of 257 million passengers from June 1 to August 31, 2023. .
According to both organizations, despite having to cut schedules, airlines will be able to meet demand by using larger planes, since in fact, year after year, US airlines are adding 297,000 seats per day to accommodate 243,000 more passengers per day.
“US airlines have been aggressively hiring for positions across the industry. We now have the largest number of workers we’ve had in 20 years. Airlines are also reducing their flight schedules to accommodate current realities, including the shortage of FAA air traffic controller personnel,” he commented. Nicholas E. Calio, President and CEO of A4A.
“It has been said time and time again that the US is the gold standard for aviation security. We take pride in that and we work hard on it every day. Collaboration is needed across the National Airspace System to maintain that safety record. Simply put, safety is, and always will be, our top priority,” added Calio.
The travel summit highlighted that airlines are doing everything they can to prepare for this peak season and that they have about 487,000 full-time equivalent workers on US passenger airlines. That number is above par. prior to the pandemic and is the highest number since October 2001.
“We want this summer to be a summer where we are achieving our best operational reliability. We care about making sure our customers are treated right and have a good experience because we compete for your repeat business. I think we’ve done everything we can to make sure we’re ready for the summer demand,” said Sharon Pinkerton, former NATCA president. “I don’t necessarily think that reducing flights is a sustainable approach in the long term.”
For her part, Alexa López, TSA deputy administrator for strategic communications and public affairs, said that they are prepared for the upcoming travel season: “Last weekend, we reached a record, evaluating the largest number of passengers evaluated since the beginning of the pandemic, and we expect this summer to be our busiest. Our staffing levels are much better thanks to finally securing better wages for all TSA employees.”
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