Bad experiences flying during spring break and holiday weekends might turn off would-be travelers from air travel, says Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.
"Periods of high demand — like spring break and holiday weekends — are a stress test that reveal the inadequacies of our current air travel system,” Freeman said.
According to U.S. Travel, air travel will slightly exceed pre-pandemic levels this spring. Airlines for America projects 2.6 million U.S. air passengers per day in March and April, which represents a 1% increase over 2019 levels.
Years of federal underinvestment have resulted in a stretched-thin system that can no longer meet rising demand, negatively impacting the overall travel experience.
"However, years of federal underinvestment have resulted in a stretched-thin system that can no longer meet rising demand, negatively impacting the overall travel experience,” read a statement from U.S. Travel.
The statement pointed to a recent poll from Ipsos, which found that nearly half (45%) of American travelers rate the air travel experience as average or below average due to crowds and congestion, flight delays or cancellations, the airport security process and cumbersome travel logistics.
The survey also indicated that more than a third of travelers (36%) would travel more in the next six months if the travel experience was not so much of a hassle today.
“The U.S. holds a major opportunity to grow the economy by operating a best-in-class air travel system that can handle long-term demand and generate significant revenue,” Freeman said. “Americans want to travel, but they want a reliable system that works.”
What the U.S. Travel Association Is Recommending to Improve the U.S. Air Travel System
The following are suggestions from U.S. Travel to the federal government:
- Address inefficiencies across the air travel system by “accelerating air traffic modernization, growing the aviation workforce and modernizing airport infrastructure.” U.S. Travel encourages Congress to consider these issues when reviewing this year’s Federal Aviation Administration bill. Highlighting workforce issues, U.S. Travel pointed out that “there are currently 1,200 fewer certified air traffic controllers than there were 10 years ago.”
Strong demand today means nothing if passengers aren’t satisfied.
- Accelerate “the use of biometric data to expedite the airport security process and create a more seamless, secure travel experience for air travelers.” According to U.S. Travel, about half of Americans are “comfortable sharing biometric data with TSA — such as fingerprints and facial recognition — to check in for a flight, get through airport security and board a plane.”
"Strong demand today means nothing if passengers aren’t satisfied,” Freeman said. “The federal government needs to make the critical investments now to ensure we still have passengers in the future.”
