Air travelers will need to be patient this summer. The airline industry is hinting that late flights and congestion may be difficult to avoid.
After last summer's delays and congestion in key airports, the industry's warning should not be taken lightly.
"We're going to face a challenging summer," said James C. May, president and CEO of the Air Transport Association of America, the trade group which represents the major U.S. airlines.
Airlines and airports have said that they are working to avoid delays, but weather is always a factor and much depends on whether three New York area airports have improved their operations. Last year, congestion in the New York and Philadelphia airports sparked three-quarters of late flights throughout the nation, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The price of jet fuel is soaring at nearly $170 a barrel. That's a 63 percent increase over last year, according to Cox News Service.
Greg Principato, president of the Airports Council International-North America, which represents the nation's airports, said that "a rise in fares is inevitable" and that current ticket prices "are not coming close" to covering the costs.
Some 2.7 million fewer Americans will be taking commercial flights this summer compared to last — 211.5 million this year compared to 214.2 million in the summer of 2007. The 1.3 percent decline is due to the weakening economy.
"People are worried about the economy and their own financial condition so they're delaying their travel plans," said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, an advocacy group for airline passengers. "They're weighing the price of gas — how much it will cost them to drive versus flying, whether they'll have to rent a car when they get there. Everyone is just very concerned about the future."
That is true, but this summer promises to be particularly difficult for those with air travel plans. There will be fewer passengers, but that will not produce empty seats. To save fuel, airlines are cutting back on the number of domestic flights by about 1.9 percent.
"We're not going to be perfect," said Mr. May, but the airlines and airports aim to "minimize delays."
Let the traveler beware.
