Travelers at Los Angeles International Airport LAX are beating the crowds on Thursday, November 18, 2021, as up to 2 million people are expected to pass through Los Angeles International Airport during the two-week Thanksgiving holiday period that begins today, potentially doubling the number from the same time last year.
Al Seib | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Travelers are about to find out whether airlines are prepared for a surge in Thanksgiving passengers.
The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen about 20 million people between Friday and Nov. 28, almost back to 2019 levels. Many of those travelers skipped Thanksgiving trips last year as Covid cases were rising and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised against travel during the holiday.
Both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines said the Sunday after Thanksgiving could be their busiest day since before the pandemic. The airlines forecast this week that between Nov. 19 and Nov. 30, they will fly at least 5.6 million and 4.5 million travelers, respectively.
The increase in travelers is good news for one of the pandemic’s most battered industries. But some airlines have at times struggled to fulfill their ambitious schedules, resulting in high numbers of flight cancellations, most recently at American Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
Getting the balance right is crucial as airlines try to return to profitability, facing challenges from higher fuel prices and new lockdowns in parts of Europe.
Those carriers canceled more than 2,000 flights apiece in less than one-week periods this fall. Delays and cancellations have vexed travelers who have complained about hours-long waits to speak to customer service with hold times sometimes exceeding the duration of their flights.
Staffing struggles
Staffing shortfalls have been a major challenge for airlines, which encouraged thousands of workers to take leaves of absence or early retirement to cut the carriers’ payroll during the pandemic. Now they are racing to hire pilots, reservations agents, flight attendants and other workers. Sick calls have also contributed to disruptions.
Lower staffing levels make it harder for airlines to recover from routine problems like bad weather.
“It’s going to be a busy holiday season,” American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said at The Skift Aviation Forum on Wednesday. “We’re ready for it.”
The carrier expects to fly about 5,000 flights a day during Thanksgiving week with a schedule that’s just 8% below what it flew during that period in 2019.
American is offering flight attendants 50% higher pay for working holiday trips and up to triple pay for those flights if they also meet attendance goals through early January. The Fort Worth-based carrier has also dangled $1,000 holiday attendance incentives to other staff, including at its regional airline subsidiaries.
American Airlines pilots’ union rejected the company’s offer for as much as double pay for holiday trips, arguing the airline needs to make…