Summer travel woes are unlikely to go away anytime soon.
Industry experts say the remainder of the season shall be difficult for travellers, partly due to air traffic controllers’ staffing problems, which they are saying can’t be resolved overnight, and due to airline overscheduling.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was working to address staffing issues in Latest York and other parts of the country, and even asked carriers to cut summer schedules earlier this yr to add more slack to the system.
“It’s going to be just crazy,” travel expert Lee Abbamonte, who claims to have been to every country on the planet, told FOX Business.
Abbamonte predicted delays and cancellations would continue throughout the summer travel season. He also warned that problems could persist even after the summer.
Abbamonte said a part of the rationale is that “it took them away [the FAA] endlessly to fill the void left by air traffic controllers.”
![Experts say the rest of the season will be difficult for travelers, in part because of air traffic controller staffing issues.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/GettyImages-1354639807.jpg?w=1024)
Clint Henderson, editor-in-chief of travel website The Points Guy, also believes the shortage of air traffic controllers is a “huge problem” that is not going to be solved this yr.
“By way of the actual travel issues we’re seeing… it’s going to be an ongoing trend,” Henderson told FOX Business.
Henderson said there are still too few air traffic controllers, noting shortages especially at major hubs within the Northeast – comparable to Newark, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports – and even in Canada.
![The FAA said it was working to resolve staffing issues in New York and other parts of the country.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/GettyImages-1480907962.jpg?w=1024)
“When something starts to break down, there aren’t enough staff to help the airlines sort it out,” he added.
Henderson, nonetheless, gave the FAA credit, saying it was working to hire and train more air traffic controllers.
The issue, he said, is that it’s a slow process “that is not going to be solved overnight.”
![Passengers wait at Newark Liberty International Airport as more than 2,000 flights were canceled in New Jersey on June 27, 2023.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/GettyImages-1259129517.jpg?w=1024)
As well as, he added that the FAA has lost many experienced employees in the course of the pandemic.
“Especially when things start to go unsuitable and system failures start to cascade…once you haven’t got much experience dealing with these situations, you’ll be able to quickly grow to be overwhelmed,” added Henderson.
During an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation”, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg dismissed airline management, blaming the FAA, saying that “lower than 10% of the system’s minutes of delay” are due to air traffic control deficiencies.
He also noted that the cruel weather was a serious reason behind repeated clusters of flight problems.
Henderson also agreed that it wasn’t just FAA staffing issues.
He said airlines even have quite a lot of responsibility because they are overcharged.
![He added that the FAA had lost many experienced employees during the pandemic.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/GettyImages-1258200313.jpg?w=1024)
“They’re planned as if there is no such thing as a day thunderstorm … there’s not much slack within the system,” said Henderson.
Earlier this yr, airlines responded to calls from the FAA to reduce flight schedules within the Northeast by 10%. Nevertheless, Henderson argued that airlines had not reduced them sufficiently.
He hopes that after last week’s debacle – when hundreds of flights were knocked off the rails after storms swept across the East Coast and Midwest – that will change.
![In 2023, airlines responded to FAA calls to reduce flight schedules in the Northeast by 10%.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/GettyImages-1258199955.jpg?w=1024)
“There is no such thing as a room for hesitation. There is no such thing as a room for error right now,” said Henderson. “You really want that concession within the system to help when things start to go sideways.”
United’s CEO Scott Kirby warned in a recent staff memo that he “may have to further alter/reduce our schedule to ensure we now have much more free goals and a buffer – especially during stormy season.”
The FAA told FOX Business it was “continuing to catch up with training controllers in Latest York and elsewhere.”
Nevertheless, “when it comes to having the ability to handle scheduled traffic, we have had no problems within the Latest York area for the past week.”
Still, Henderson predicts that the problems will persist “possibly even into 2024.”
What should travelers do within the meantime?
For now, Abbamonte said travelers need to be prepared.
To cut back the chance of delay or cancellation, he suggested taking the earliest possible flight.
He said if a flight is delayed or canceled, passengers have the most effective probability of getting out that day.
According to Abbamonte, it is also a very good idea to have travel insurance.
As well as, it is healthier to book directly with the airline, either online or through its app, reasonably than through a 3rd party comparable to Expedia.
He said if there was an issue the airline would refer you to the third party you used.