Bright Spots in Air Travel for Summer Vacationers
There has been so much written about crowded airlines and rising ticket prices, it is good to read a report that summer air travel has been smoother than expected, despite record crowding. Scott McCarthy reports in the Wall Street Journal that, “so far this summer, there are at least a couple of bright spots for fliers: There are fewer airline delays and cancellations than last year.�
McCarthy quotes FlightStats Inc., which tracks airline flight performance, which reports that between May 25 and June 15, 22.7% of all flights at the 10 biggest airlines have been late, better than the 25% late rate last year on the same days. . FlightStats also reports that with flights fully booked, airlines have fought to avoid cancellations and keep people moving, knowing there are few empty seats available to accommodate stranded travelers. In the first three weeks of the summer period, only 0.7% of flights were canceled, compared with 1% a year earlier.
The article also comments on delays in the waiting times in the TSA security lines, but the USA Today article quoted in our June 24 blog is the most informative I have seen on waiting times in the 100 busiest airports in the nation. In any event it is good news for vacation home rentals as well as the travel industry in general.
