Breaking News

Up to 200,000 people estimated to travel to Vermont for total solar eclipse How fast will April’s total solar eclipse travel? The UN Security Council demands a ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan Mexico in the emerging world order Pennsylvania State Guard Organizes Lithuanian Foreign Minister US Abstention from UN Security Council Resolution on Gaza – US State Department USA beats Mexico 2-0 thanks to goals from Adams and Reyna to win 3rd consecutive CONCACAF Nations League Mexico x United States | Highlights Meaning | The Case for American Intervention in Haiti Julian Assange to hear results of key US extradition ruling

A version of this story appears in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.

(CNN) It’s a travel season unlike any other.

Anyone looking for a summer vacation is likely to be caught in a chaotic web of canceled flights, expensive rental cars or fully booked hotels. You may seem like going from point A to point B without an expensive headache.

Consider this: On Wednesday, 639 flights in, in, or out of the United States were canceled, and 5,837 were delayed, according to FlightAware flight tracking data.

Delta Air Lines has removed about 100 flights a day from its July schedule to “minimize disruption” and issued a July 4 passenger waiver as it approached unprecedented passenger numbers. before the pandemic. ”

Renting a car is more likely to cost you more than a few years – if you can afford one. And hotel prices are climbing all over the country too. So much for relaxation.

What’s going on?

It’s not your fault (probably). In the sky, airlines, especially pilots, have far fewer employees than before the pandemic. And by the way, a shortage of available vehicles is pushing rental car prices up to double digits.

Enter the highest ever high inflation and significant demand for leisure travel and you have a recipe for trouble. On the same subject : Flight Shutdown, Delay, & Travel Disruption: Summer Travel Nightmare.

Much of this turbulence can be traced back to Covid-19.

It starts with the claim. Airlines and hotels are predicting the biggest ever travel this summer and Americans who delayed trips during the pandemic return to vacation.

The demand comes with a short staff. While airlines received $ 54 billion in federal aid during Covid ‘s peak to avoid involuntary layoffs, they have fewer employees after offering purchases and early retirement packages to cut staff and save money.

Short staffing creates problems. As a result, operations can quickly collapse during severe weather, staff shortages at air traffic control centers or sick staff.

Then there is inflation. The Consumer Price Index, the government’s key inflation measure, estimates that overall fares were up 37.8% in May on the previous year, and up 21.7% on May 2019, before the pandemic.

Remember, during the outbreak, the Federal Reserve implemented emergency stimulus measures to keep financial markets from tarnishing. The central bank reduced interest rates to near zero and began pumping thousands of dollars every month into the markets by buying corporate debt.

In doing so, the bank probably prevented a financial disaster. But these easy monetary policies are a result of inflation, which is why your airline ticket costs much more than it used to.

Rental cars are also a pandemic problem. During the height of the pandemic, the industry sold more than half a million cars, about a third of their fleets combined, just to generate the cash they needed to survive the crisis. After a year of heavy losses, car rental companies struggled to rebuild their fleets to meet demand, leading to exorbitant prices before even filling the tank.

Hotels, too. You will not have much relief when you reach your destination either. Do you remember the issue of pent-up travel claim? That is falling into a limited number of places to stay and has resulted in some staggering prices.

The average hotel room rate is 23% higher than last year, according to AAA.

What is the Biden administration doing?

On the same subject :
Caryl Anne Francia, business editor July 3, 2022.The US aviation industry is…

What’s the Biden administration doing?

Earlier this month, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urged airline executives in a private conversation to review their flight schedules and take other measures to mitigate the impact of summer flight cancellations, a source familiar with the call with Gregory Wallace of CNN.

The source said Buttigieg had asked CEOs to talk about plans to prevent and respond to disruption over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and beyond. This may interest you : Delta gives customers the opportunity to change flights before the trip on July 4th.

US hotels are turning travel demand into gold as airlines struggle
To see also :
A man leaves the Four Seasons Hotel, which was later clarified by…

What are airlines saying?

US airlines want you to know what they want. Airlines for America, the group representing major U. On the same subject : 15 Books such as ‘Summer I Turned Good’ will be Your Next Beach Count.S. airlines, told CNN in a statement Thursday that it is “making every effort to ensure smooth travel this weekend.”

“U.S. airlines are facing a range of challenges – including weather and crew at carrier and federal government level – and are making every effort to help ensure smooth travel this weekend and in As always, we are working closely and collaboratively with the federal government to address challenges, including severe weather, so that schedule adjustments can be made and carriers can communicate. with travelers as soon as possible, “the statement said.

The group’s airline members are taking a variety of approaches to reduce disruption to summer flights, including reducing the number of flights and allowing passengers to re-book without fares for off-peak periods.

Still, critics say airlines should expect many of these issues before the summer travel season.

See the article :
Cast Forever Summer: Hamptons. (Photo: Prime Video)Subscribe to Primetimer’sRecommended newsletterand get our…

How long will this last?

Read this piece by aviation journalist John Walton.

He writes: In almost all cases, the problem is that the pandemic has left too many experienced people – either laid off or voluntarily handed out – and airlines, airports, and and other key parts of the aviation system. sufficient employed and qualified people to replace them.

That quality point is important. As airlines and airports know all too well, it is a complete process to obtain a security pass for someone who allows them to operate on an airplane or at an airport gate.

In a different way, traveling will be difficult for a while.

How can you prepare?

If you have summer travel plans, you have no doubt. CNN’s travel team put together some practical tips to help you reach your destination if it’s a flight.

The sooner the better. A flight that disappears early in the day helps to avoid the cascading effect of delays and cancellations. Later flights are more likely to be disrupted by bad weather.

Leave padding time for events not to be missed. Do not travel on the day of an important event such as a wedding. Make a plan to arrive at least one day early.

Ask for a hotel voucher if your flight is canceled. If you are unable to fly on the same day, it is worth asking for meal or hotel vouchers. In many cases, such as weather events, airlines do not have to provide them, but they are worth asking.

Most importantly, stay considerate. Don’t put your frustrations on customer service employees. They are not making the operational decisions.

CNN’s Gregory Wallace, Chuck Johnston and Ramishah Maruf contributed to this report.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *