Airport Experience® News - ACDBE 2023

SUMMER

Demand Is Back And Taxing The Air Travel System UPHEAVAL?

BY C AROL WARD

As spring rolls into summer, airlines and airports are gearing up for what is expected to be a wildly busy – and possibly disruptive – summer travel season. Airlines are understandably skittish. The summer of 2022 was a bit of a boondoggle, with the unexpected surge in demand catching many in the industry flat-footed. The labor crisis compounded the challenges, and the result was canceled flights, delays and other upheavals. With demand surging again this year, pundits are warning that history could repeat itself. A recent Forbes article headline urged readers to “get ready for another hellish summer of air travel.” Axios went with “brace yourself for another summer of air travel hell.” The Financial Times posited the “spectre of another chaotic summer travel season.” To add to the challenges, there is potential for a pilot strike at American Airlines , although at press time both the carrier and the union representing pilots said they were confident a resolution could be found. Beyond the seemingly interminable labor problems – and the technology problems that have plagued Southwest Airlines over the past year - many of the challenges have less to do with the airlines or airports themselves, and more to do with a system that is underdeveloped for the demands of today’s travelers.

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