Labor Day is looming, and more U.S. travelers than ever are expected to take to the sky. A record 17.5 million passengers will fly on U.S. airlines worldwide from Aug. 28 through Sept. 3, according to Airlines for America (A4A). That’s an increase of 4 percent over the same period last year.
More Seats
Airlines are still coping with the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max. The grounding resulted in a reduction of more than 300 daily flights, according to A4A. Still, during the holiday weekend, U.S. airlines will add 109,000 seats per day to meet the traffic demand of an additional 95,000 passengers.
“With fares at historic lows and customer satisfaction at historic highs, travelers continue to take to the skies in record numbers,” said A4A Vice President and Chief Economist John Heimlich.
When Will It Be Busy?
A4A anticipates an average of 2.51 million passengers per day during the holiday weekend.
- Friday, Aug. 30 – 2.98 million passengers
- Thursday, Aug. 29 – 2.82 million passengers
- Monday, Sept. 2 – 2.71 million passengers
U.S. airlines fly 2.4 million passengers and more than 58,000 tons of cargo each day. A4A advocates on behalf of the American airline industry as a model of safety, customer service and environmental responsibility and as the indispensable network that drives our nation’s economy and global competitiveness. The industry organization works collaboratively with the airlines, labor, Congress, the Administration and other groups to improve aviation for the traveling and shipping public.
