Airlines for America, the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today projected that a record 30.6 million passengers will travel on U.S. airlines during the 12-day Thanksgiving air travel period, up from an estimated 29 million passengers during the 2017 travel period. The forecast translates to an estimated 2.55 million passengers per day, up 137,000 per day from a year ago. Airlines are accommodating this increase in demand by adding 158,000 more seats in the marketplace each day, with a total of 2.94 million seats available to flyers every day.
The 2018 Thanksgiving air travel period runs from Friday, Nov. 16, through Tuesday, Nov. 27, with the busiest day projected to be Sunday, Nov. 25, when an estimated 3.06 million passengers will take to the skies.
“The busy holiday travel season kicks off this week, and it is thanks to incredibly accessible and affordable flight options that more travelers than ever before are visiting loved ones, wrapping up year-end business or enjoying a vacation this Thanksgiving,” said A4A Vice President and Chief Economist John Heimlich. “U.S. airlines are investing heavily in their employees, products and facilities to make air travel this holiday season enjoyable for all passengers.”
Daily passenger volumes are projected to range from 1.73 million — on Thanksgiving Day itself — to 3.06 million on the Sunday following Thanksgiving. The busiest expected travel days in ranked order are:
Sunday, Nov. 25
Wednesday, Nov. 21
Friday, Nov. 16
The lightest travel day is expected to be Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 22.
Airlines rise to meet the growing demand for air travel
As demand for air travel continues to grow, airlines are working hard to improve the customer experience from check-in to touchdown, working with airports and investing heavily in employees, aircraft and facilities. As finances have improved, U.S. passenger airlines have directly invested more than $115 billion in flight and ground equipment, facilities and information technology since 2010. In the first nine months of 2018 alone, airlines invested $13 billion back into the product with new planes, airport amenities and improved technology. According to the annual J.D. Power 2018 North America Airport Satisfaction Study released in September, North American airport satisfaction has climbed to a record high, rising to 761 points in 2018.
Airline and airport collaboration has helped pave the way for widespread infrastructure investment, leading to $130 billion of capital projects that have been completed, are underway or approved at the 30 largest U.S. airports alone since 2008. Development is also robust at smaller airports. Almost every major U.S. airport has seen the supply of airline seats rise over the past five years.
U.S. airlines continue to advocate against raising taxes on passengers, citing the ample resources available for airport improvement funding, including record-high airport revenues and unrestricted cash and investments, as well as all-time high revenues in the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. The U.S. Congressional Budget Office recently projected that the Trust Fund’s unobligated balance would grow to a record $8.7 billion by the end of 2020. U.S. airlines are committed to working alongside airports across the country to improve facilities and the customer experience, without forcing a tax hike on the traveling public.
Tags: Airlines, Airlines for America
