Summer Travel Logjam Expected at LAX

0

Flying this summer will be no picnic, given that area airports predict higher fares on some flights and fuller airplanes, the Los Angeles Times reports.


Los Angeles International Airport expects its busiest summer season since 2001, and facilities in Burbank, Ontario, Long Beach and Santa Ana are also forecasting big crowds. With fewer seats available in the event of flight cancellations due to bad weather or mechanical problems, officials are encouraging travelers to plan ahead.


“There’s going to be a regular drumbeat of problems all summer,” said Robert Mann, an aviation analyst at R.W. Mann & Co. “Any little hiccup is going to become a big headache quickly.”


Delays, which hit record levels last year, are expected to mount this summer as carriers add flights. Even though there will be more aircraft in the air, much of the new service will be on smaller jets, leaving fewer seats for travelers. Labor woes at airlines and discontent among the nation’s air traffic controllers could add to delays, experts said.


LAX officials expect 19.6 million people to pass through the facility’s nine terminals this summer from Memorial Day through Labor Day, up 2.8% from the same period a year ago, according to figures given to The Times in advance of a news conference today. LAX served 20.5 million travelers during its record summer travel period in 2001.


Read the full L.A. Times story

.(registration required)

No posts to display