Airlines for America (A4A), a trade organization with several U.S. airlines in its ranks, projected that 51 million passengers are expected to fly globally on U.S. airlines over the 21-day winter holiday travel period from Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, through Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018, approximately a 3.5 percent increase over 49.3 million last year.
According to A4A, airlines will offer 91,000 additional seats per day across their networks to accommodate the 80,000 additional daily passengers expected to travel over the holidays by adding flights and utilizing larger planes. Additionally, U.S. airlines have boosted staffing levels for 47 consecutive months and plan to continue.
“Flying to see family, friends and loved ones this holiday season is more accessible than ever,” said A4A Vice President and Chief Economist John Heimlich. “Intense competition within the airline industry is enabling passengers to choose the flights that most closely match their preferences and budgets.”
Heimlich noted that 88 percent of passengers traveling in U.S. domestic markets in 2016 could choose among carriers other than American, Delta and United (and their merged predecessors), up sharply from 65 percent in 2000. And government data shows that airline investments in equipment, systems and staffing continue to pay off for travelers, who are benefitting from better service when they choose to take to the skies.
“In recent months, notwithstanding the impact of severe weather events such as Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, flight completion and on-time arrival rates remained high, while reports of mishandled baggage and involuntary denied boardings plunged to their lowest ever recorded,” Heimlich said.
Airlines for America expects the busiest travel days of the 21-day winter holiday travel period to be Thursday, Dec. 21, Friday, Dec. 22 and Tuesday, Dec. 26, while the lightest travel days are expected to be Saturday, Dec. 16, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Passenger volumes are expected to vary widely, ranging from just below 2 million on the lightest days to more than 2.7 million on the busiest.
Click here to view A4A’s Winter 2017 Air Travel Forecast infographic.
