The holiday travel rush peaked Friday as mild weather and lower flight cancellation rates raised hopes of happier drivers and airline passengers than last year.
U.S. airlines are predicting a blockbuster holiday season and have projected confidence that they will be able to handle the crowds after hiring thousands of pilots, flight attendants and other workers, seeking to avoid the delays and suspensions that marred travel last year and culminated with the Southwest Airline debacle that left them stranded. more than 2 million people.
Airlines have canceled just 1.2% of U.S. flights so far this year, the lowest figure in five years, but bad weather is always a threat.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned that the government will hold airlines responsible for operating smoothly and treating passengers well if there are disruptions.
Earlier this week, the Department of Transportation announced a settlement in which Southwest will pay $140 million for its crisis last year.
According to FlightAware, about 70 flights had been canceled in the United States by early Friday afternoon and about 3,480 had been delayed.
The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2.6 million passengers on Thursday, which had been projected to be one of the busiest tourist days, along with Friday and New Year’s Day.
A crowd of travelers wait to check in for their flights at Boston’s Logan International Airport on Dec. 21, 2023. AFP via Getty Images Airlines have canceled just 1.2% of U.S. flights so far this year, the figure lowest in five years, but bad weather is always a threat. AP
That’s below the record 2.9 million that agents surveyed on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, as travel tends to be spread out more over Christmas and New Year’s.
Travel has been strong this year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, even though many Americans say they are worried about the economy.
The TSA has already screened 12.3% more travelers than last year at this time and 1.4% more than in 2019.
Robert Lake said he hoped taking a predawn flight from Atlanta International Airport would help him avoid the crowds on Friday, but he found the world’s busiest airport was already full in the wee hours of the morning.
“It was very hectic. I got to my boarding area, maybe a few minutes before the plane took off,” Lake said after arriving in Tampa to take a cruise for the holidays. “I cut it too close.”
The Department of Transportation announced a settlement in which Southwest will pay $140 million for its crisis last year. AFP via Getty Images
Other travelers said they were pleasantly surprised by the ease of their trips despite the crowds.
“Very easy. We had a great flight. No problems so far,” said Kendall Black, who flew from Houston to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport with her husband and 3-year-old daughter to visit her sister.
The AAA automobile club predicts that 115 million people in the United States will travel 50 miles or more from home between Saturday and New Year’s Day.
That’s 2% more than last year. The busiest days on the road will be Saturday and next Thursday, December 28, according to transportation data provider INRIX.
Passengers travel through Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Linthicum, Maryland, on Dec. 22, 2023. AFP via Getty Images Travelers pass check-in lines at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Dec. 22. December 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Inflation has cooled somewhat and travelers benefited from lower average gasoline prices and airfares.
The national average gas price on Friday was $3.13 per gallon, 15 cents lower than a month ago and about 3 cents higher than this time last year, according to AAA.
Average rates in October were 13% lower than a year earlier, according to the latest government data.
Internationally, air travel has also recovered, although it remains below pre-pandemic levels.
Airlines have sold 31% more tickets for international arrivals to global destinations between December 21 and 31 compared to the similar period last year, according to travel data firm FowardKeys.
The AAA automobile club predicts that 115 million people in the United States will travel 50 miles or more from home between Saturday and New Year’s Day. AP
Some travelers in northern Europe had a run of bad luck with bad weather and labor unrest.
A storm brought heavy rain and strong winds to northern Europe overnight and on Friday, toppling trees and prompting flood warnings on the North Sea coast.
Workers at the undersea tunnel between Britain and France staged a surprise strike on Thursday, forcing passenger and vehicle service to be canceled before an agreement was reached with unions.
Eurostar, which operates passenger train services from London to continental Europe, said services will resume on Friday and will operate six additional trains between Paris and London over the weekend.
Airlines have sold 31% more tickets for international arrivals to global destinations between December 21 and 31 compared to the similar period last year, according to travel data firm FowardKeys. AFP via Getty Images
In the United States, AccuWeather forecasters said the Pacific storm that hit parts of Southern California on Thursday will merge with another storm in the northwest and produce a major snowstorm in the Rocky Mountains.
AccuWeather warned travelers to be on the lookout for possible flight cancellations and delays in Denver over the weekend.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn