Labor Day Weekend Airline Travel Numbers Leave Room For Optimism

Following a less than stellar summer for major U.S. airlines, Labor Day weekend saw more air passengers than it did in 2019, and travelers enjoyed smooth operations throughout the United States.

In 2019, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened 8.6 million people during Labor Day weekend. This year, that number was 8.76 million, an increase of about 160,000 people.

Aided by favorable weather, the airlines were able to avoid many of the delays and cancellations that have become commonplace since May 27, the Friday before Memorial Day. Over the weekend, airlines canceled less than 1% of their 90,000 domestic flights and delayed only 16%, which was a welcome and marked improvement.

Following what some experts say was an overly ambitious effort to rebound U.S. travel, the three major U.S. airlines, American, Delta and United, scaled back their flights this summer in an effort to offset logistical and supply chain problems as well as personnel shortages.

This Wednesday, airline executives are holding an industry conference, during which they are expected to provide projections for this fall and the holiday season.

Although it’s still just a rumor, there have been multiple reports that United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is considering a large order of planes to replace the airline’s aging Boeing 767-300ER.

Allegedly, while visiting the United Airlines pilot training center in Denver, Kirby let it slip that the airline is considering either the Boeing 787 or the Airbus A350, and the deal could go down by the end of the year.