If the past few months have been any indication of what the coming months hold, it's going to be a brutal holiday travel season for Americans taking to the skies to see loved ones or just get away from home. Major airlines have struggled to meet customer demands stranded thousands of passengers in airports around the country by canceling thousands of flights. Fortunately, executives recognize that this issue needs to be addressed before the end-of-year holiday season. Read on to find out what major airlines are doing to shore up operations as much as possible in the coming weeks and what you can expect to find as you're booking your flights and arriving at the airport.
Southwest Airlines is trimming flights and adding crew ahead of the holiday travel rush.
Southwest Airlines created havoc for passengers last month when it canceled 1,800 flights, blaming air traffic control issues as well as weather. However, staffing shortages are known to be a source of problems across the aviation industry (and beyond), so to mitigate the potential for a chaotic season, Southwest trimmed its its schedule for November and December. The carrier is also ramping up staffing ahead of the holiday travel rush that begins at Thanksgiving and carries straight through Christmas to the new year.
RELATED: Another Major Airline Is Cutting Flights for the Next 2 Months.
Southwest is also aiming to double its reserve staff.
"So our reserves are over 20 percent for our crews, which helps you operate every single day," Southwest's next CEO, Bob Jordan explained to Yahoo Finance Live. Reserve staff are on-call to report for whatever flights needed.
That jump would be a major assist to the airline's staffing situation. Southwest had only half that amount of reserve staff in place in October when the airline was forced to scratch thousands of flights.
"It's all about reliability," Jordan continued. "Our customers need to get to where they're going and they need to depend on us and they can depend on us because they rely on us to get them to things that matter in their lives, to weddings and to visit family on holidays."
RELATED: Never Do This When Your Flight Is Canceled, Travel Expert Warns.
Other airlines are also adding flights back to their holiday schedules.
The spike in COVID-19 cases due to the highly contagious delta variant and waning vaccination numbers cut into demand for travel back in August and September. But major airlines predict that this upcoming holiday season will be as busy as pre-pandemic times, with travelers unwilling to miss out on another Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's holiday with loved ones. Delta Airlines noted "robust holiday demand and an expected improvement in corporate and international demand" in its Q3 earnings report. And United Airlines is planning to beef its holiday schedule back up to 91 percent of what it was in 2019, as reported by CNBC. At 3,500 flights a day planned for December, that's the most the carrier will have flown since the pandemic began.
For more travel news sent right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Millions of travelers are expected to fly this holiday season.
Airlines' efforts to staff up and adjust flight schedules will be welcome news to U.S. travelers, who have already faced major frustration as a result of this year's challenges across the industry.
According to Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) data, in 2019, approximately 2.6 million people passed through airport security every day during the Thanksgiving holiday, and about 2.5 million passengers daily during Christmas week that year. Southwest's Jordan told Yahoo that this holiday season is "following the curve… and you'll see load factors that are pretty typical." So managing that load will be the goal of every major airline.
RELATED: The Least Trusted Major Airport in the U.S., According to Customers.
Alesandra Dubin Alesandra Dubin is a lifestyle editor and writer based in Los Angeles. Read moreFiled UnderNews • Travel AdviceRead This NextThis Major Airline Just Canceled 2,000 Flights
American Airlines canceled about 10 percent of its flights over a four-day period. November 1, 2021Never Do This If You're on an Oversold Flight
Here's how to get the best deal with the airline if you're bumped from an oversold flight.October 26, 2021The World's Longest Zip Line Is More Epic Than You Ever Imagined—Video
It opened today in UAE. February 2, 2018This Man Has Been Living on a Cruise Ship for Twenty Years
"I'm the happiest guy in the world."May 4, 201850 Things Italians Do Better
Americans are amateurs when it comes to these things.May 7, 201830 Things That Annoy People in Small Towns
Seriously, stop calling everything "adorable."June 15, 2018The 50 Most Death-Defying Selfies
If you have a fear of heights, turn back now.June 18, 201833 Real-Life Missing Treasures
X marks the spot!June 27, 201815 Signs You're a Country Person
All roads take you home—to the place you belong.July 18, 2018This Is Why You Should Take All Of Your Vacation Days
Get thee to Belize (or The Maldives, or wherever), stat.May 10, 2018
