US airlines expect record crowds over week-long Labor Day period

DALLAS, Aug 25, (AP): Airlines expect record crowds over the week-long Labor Day period, continuing a rise in travel that has boosted the airlines’ profits all year.

The trade group Airlines for America forecast Tuesday that 17.5 million passengers will fly on US carriers between Aug. 28 and Sept. 3. That would be 2.5 million passengers a day and a 4% increase over the same week last year.

The busiest day is expected to be Friday, Aug. 30, when the group forecasts just under 3 million people will board a US airline.

The industry group credits low fares, and analysts point to steady if unspectacular economic growth and low unemployment as other factors supporting demand for travel.

The airline group says carriers have added seats even though Southwest, American and United have canceled thousands of flights while their Boeing 737 Max planes remain grounded.

Southwest, American and United had 72 Maxes when the planes were grounded in mid-March after the second of two deadly crashes. They expected to receive many more planes as the year went on, so they have had to make deeper cuts in their schedules for upcoming months.

American and United have taken the plane out of their schedules until early November. Southwest doesn’t plan to use Max jets until early January so that it doesn’t have to scrub flights over Christmas and New Year’s. Boeing predicts the plane will be flying in November, but the company has been overly optimistic before.

If the plane is grounded much longer than anticipated, airlines will have to buy other planes, said the trade group’s economist, John Heimlich.

“But we’re far away from that,” Heimlich said on a call with reporters. “There is a lot of confidence that with all the attention and scrutiny given to this airplane that it will be in flight before they have to consider such extreme measures.”

Heimlich said getting through the summer without those planes was the biggest hurdle for the airlines that use them. He said the holidays should be easier because airlines have had more time to adjust their schedules.