Jul. 6—The current state of affairs in U.S. airports is marked by uncertainty and dysfunction, as carriers continue to grapple with historic travel demand and staffing shortages amid skyrocketing fuel prices, and travelers continue to experience considerable delays and cancellations at U.S. hubs.
Airlines have had to slash flight schedules in the stated hopes of alleviating workforce issues, and things are not going to get better any time soon, according to a Wednesday memo penned by United Airlines CEO Jon Roitman. First reported by Reuters' David Shepardson, the message sent by Roitman to his staff projects that U.S. carriers will "remain challenged this summer and beyond" due to insufficient air traffic control workers at airports around the nation.
"The reality is that there are just more flights scheduled nationwide than the [air traffic control] staffing system can handle," Roitman wrote. "Until that is resolved, we expect the U.S. aviation system will remain challenged this summer and beyond."
Roitman's memo echoes an emerging line of messaging from airlines that places the blame for ongoing operational difficulties on a lack of air traffic control employees. In June the aviation industry group Airlines for America penned a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stating East Coast travel hubs had been subjected to "crippling" delays brought about by air traffic control understaffing.
The Federal Aviation Administration dismissed these claims in a subsequent letter that highlighted the generous bailouts airlines received to retain staff at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. "After receiving $54 billion in pandemic relief to help save the airlines from mass layoffs and bankruptcy, the American people deserve to have their expectations met," the FAA wrote in a statement.
By February 2021, U.S. airlines had fired, furloughed or informed roughly 400,000 airline employees they would no longer have jobs due to the pandemic. In October 2020, United Airlines furloughed more than 32,000 employees despite airlines receiving $25 billion in federal dollars for the purpose of covering workers' salaries.
These furloughs have led to pilot shortages and operational challenges as travelers return to the skies in record numbers this summer, with Delta Airlines experiencing its highest ever month for bookings earlier this year, according to CEO Ed Bastian. Delta pilots in June engaged in silent protests at seven U.S. airports demanding better pay for the increased workload they face due to staffing shortages.
"Our message today was for Delta management that it was time to come to the table for an industry-leading contract," Delta pilot Reed Donoghue told NPR. "Passengers out there flying this [ Fourth of July] weekend [should] know that there's a good chance that at least one crew member on their flight, being a flight attendant or a pilot, is likely working overtime on their day off to help the operation out."
U.S.-based carriers canceled more than 1,800 flights between July 1 and July 4, according to a Reuters report. More than 22,000 flights experienced delays over the holiday weekend. International President of the Association of Flight Attendants Sarah Nelson said the uncertainty travelers currently face cannot be allowed to become the norm.
"You can't have the public thinking, 'Oh, I'm going to buy a ticket' and it's like take a spin on the roulette wheel about whether or not you're going to make it to your vacation," Nelson told Reuters in June.
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