Airlines for America (A4A) President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio recently sent U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg a letter, urging airline operations remain safe and reliable over the summer travel season.
Calio stated the industry is doing everything possible to create a positive customer experience and to deliver a safe and on-time product throughout the entire summer.
Steps U.S. air carriers have taken include flexibility for itinerary changes, investments in airline apps, robust hiring and training programs, and pulled down 15 percent of summer flights relative to what was planned at the beginning of 2022.
“However, not every air traffic variable is within an airline’s control,” Calio said. “For instance, one of our A4A member carriers estimate that air traffic control (ATC) related issues were a factor in at least one-third of recent cancellations. In many instances the weather requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to institute Ground Delay Programs or other traffic management initiatives that slow the ATC system for many hours. However, we have also observed that FAA ATC staffing challenges have led to traffic restrictions under blue sky conditions.”
A4A requests a meeting with Buttigieg to discuss working together to understand FAA’s controller staffing plan for the July 4th weekend and summer travel season.