The US’s Air Transport Association has released Memorial Day and summer passenger traffic forecasts, and urged
passengers to plan ahead for an optimal travel experience.ATA forecasts that a record number of passengers will travel over both
the Memorial Day period and during summer months (June 1 through August
31). During the 10-day Memorial Day period, from May 21 through
Wednesday, May 30, ATA forecasts 21.4 million passengers will travel
globally on U.S. airlines - an estimated increase of 3.3 percent
compared to the same 10-day period last year. The summer traffic
forecast for the months of June through August anticipates approximately
209 million passengers, an increase of 3.0 percent over the same
three-month period in the previous year.

“With a record number of passengers expected to fly this summer, the
airlines are maximizing their efforts to ensure that operations run
smoothly for our customers. But passengers can also help by planning
ahead, using online check-in before they get to the airport and arriving
at the airport early,” said ATA President and CEO James C. May.

 

May added, “It’s important to remember that smooth operations are not
solely in airlines’ hands. Weather plays a role. Furthermore, the
current air traffic control system, which is vital to getting
vacationers to and from their destinations efficiently, is straining to
meet current demand. Without a rapid transition to an
information-centric satellite-based system, the threat of gridlock
continues to grow. Congress and the administration can do their part by
supporting an aggressive modernization program and simultaneously
adopting a funding scheme in which corporate jets, not just commercial
airline passengers, are expected to provide system funding.”

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