May 19--Brace yourself for crowded airports and full planes this summer, as air travel is expected to hit a record high, according to a report released Monday.
Some 222 million passengers will take to the skies between June 1 and Aug. 31, up 4.5 percent over last year, beating the 2007 record of 217.6 million, said Airlines for America, the industry's trade group. That includes a record 31 million travelers on international flights.
"The continued rise in U.S. consumer sentiment and employment is leading to more people traveling more often," said John Heimlich, A4A chief economist.
In response to growing demand, airlines are expected to add 4.6 percent more seats, or 126,000 per day. That's the most summertime seats since before the Great Recession. Added seats are mostly the result of airlines flying larger planes -- dramatically reducing the use of uneconomical 50-seat regional jets -- and packing in extra rows to existing jets.
Despite the crowds, tighter seats and the continuation of airline fees that consumers say they dislike, a few recent surveys suggest airlines are doing a better job overall.
A J.D. Power report last week suggested airlines are moving beyond providing just transportation to being more of a hospitality and services business. Overall passenger satisfaction with major North American airlines increased to 717 on its index, up from 712 last year. Drivers of the increase were satisfaction with flight crew, in-flight services, and costs and fees. A different report, the American Customer Satisfaction Index, last month showed customers were more satisfied with airlines than they've been in 20 years.
New-plane smell might help.The chances are higher of riding on a new aircraft, which are generally more comfortable and have more amenities such as Wi-Fi and larger overhead bins, as U.S. airlines take delivery of new planes at the rate of one per day, the highest rate in 15 years, Heimlich said.
However, airlines are usually put to the test in the summer, the busiest travel time of the year with 13 of the 15 busiest air travel days falling during summer months -- mostly Thursdays and Fridays from mid-June to early-August. And summer weather can stress an airline's operations. While airlines can plan days in advance for blizzards, it is hard to know exactly when a thunderstorm will roll through an airport, shutting down all baggage handling and flights.
The airline group said U.S. airlines are prepared to accommodate the increased travel demand, not only by adding flights and seats but boosts in staffing to enhance the customer experience.
At O'Hare International Airport, the two dominant airlines, Chicago-based United Airlines and American Airlines, are both using more large aircraft. And both companies this spring changed schedules to group flights tighter together to provide connecting passengers better choices. However, that potentially creates more traffic on the tarmac and higher demands for customer service in the airport. American Airlines added 450 workers to accommodate peak crowds.
Adding extra seats has given pause to some Wall Street analysts who worry that airlines might have to discount fares to fill them. That hasn't happened yet, but after years of steadily rising airfares, there is a tiny bit of relief for fliers this summer -- $2.01 in savings to be exact.
The average round-trip domestic ticket this summer, including taxes, now stands at $454, down less than 1 percent from last summer, according to the Airlines Reporting Corp., which processes ticket transactions for airlines and travel agencies.
From O'Hare, average ticket prices this summer average $354, down from about $370 last year, when looking at the top 30 domestic destinations, according to ARC.
Vacationers to Europe will fare better, with the average ticket down 3 percent to $1,619, about $50 less than last summer.
For international flying, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan, are the top nonstop destinations from the U.S., Airlines for America said.
Passengers aren't going to have much spare space.
Last July, U.S. airlines sold a record 87.8 percent of seats on domestic flights, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. And that figure does include seats occupied by airline employees flying for free. In other words: Virtually every seat was taken.
The Associated Press contributed.
gkarp@tribpub.com
