Despite Air Traffic Controller Shortages and Boeing Delays, Airlines are ‘Reasonably Prepared’ for Record Summer Travel, Says UMD Expert

Record-breaking summer air travel is well underway. U.S. airlines are expected to carry 271 million people around the world in a season that began on June 1 and ends on Aug. 31. The airline industry trade group, Airlines for America, says this year’s summer air travel will surpass that of 2023 and because of that, airlines are offering 26,000 flights a day. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says it’s prepared for the highest passenger volumes it has ever seen. But there are hurdles to overcome.

“There are some macro issues and then there are more micro issues involved in this very busy travel season,” says Suresh Acharya, professor of practice and academic director of the Master of Science in Business Analytics program at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. He has worked on airline optimization systems for decades and says the macro or larger issues at play here are the air traffic controller shortage, Boeing’s troubles and lingering supply chain problems that started during the pandemic.

Air traffic control stations are about 3,000 controllers short which has led to flight delays and concern about controller fatigue. The shortage has controllers working overtime to fill the gaps, fueling worry their exhaustion will contribute to near collisions on runways and in the air. Acharya says it takes time to hire new controllers because there’s a significant training period. “It takes a while to ramp them up because it’s just a very specialized field.”

Boeing, one of the world’s top two aircraft makers, has had a series of problems since January when a door plug flew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max in midair. After that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limited production of the Max, resulting in delays in filling orders for new planes, which are sorely needed at the moment. That is definitely a supply chain issue, not to mention the trouble Boeing and other plane manufacturers are having getting the parts to build new planes. Lastly, triple-digit temperatures and extreme weather like that brought on by Hurricane Beryl not only make it difficult to get planes off the ground, but also cause flight delays and cancellations for the record number of summer travelers.

So, keeping all of this in mind, are airlines prepared and capably dealing with the busiest summer travel season we’ve ever seen? “I think they are reasonably prepared,” Acharya says. “After all, they do go through this year after year. If the airlines are not able to handle planned volume, then we have issues—but that’s not what I’m hearing with Delta, American, United, etcetera.”

Acharya thinks the airlines are doing a much better job than they did five or seven years ago. “They’ve got sophisticated systems that automatically book flights and there are a lot of algorithms and good AI being used that will continue to evolve.” During the booking process airlines are now figuring out workarounds for passengers should a disruption like a hurricane occur. He says for example airlines are asking themselves, “If a flight from Dulles to Denver gets delayed, is there a way for a flier to be rerouted through Chicago or Houston so they can get to their final destination of Wyoming at or near their planned arrival time?”

No matter how prepared the airlines, TSA and the FAA “disruptions” are going to occur.

And with more people than ever traveling by air this summer, it’s highly likely—in fact, we’re already seeing issues. The key is to be ready for your trip to hit a snag and pack your patience as you embark on that well-deserved vacation to which you’re so looking forward.