What if my airline has a computer meltdown?Įven if you're looking to unplug on your vacation, a computer will need to do its job for you to get where you're going.īut technology hasn't always been up to the task. If a strike appears likely, travelers can monitor the situation and consider switching to another airline. ➤ What you can do: For now, there is no reason to panic. Southwest's pilot union remains in negotiations. In fact, American's pilot union reached an agreement just before Memorial Day, ending the possibility of a strike. A strike wouldn't happen unless negotiations between the unions and the airlines' management break down. The votes are routine steps in their contract negotiations. The votes by the American and Southwest pilots' unions to authorize a strike don't necessarily mean a strike will happen. “If there is a full labor strike, that will certainly keep the planes on the ground much faster than the weather will,” Wise said. While it appears unlikely that pilots will strike at either airline, a work stoppage could be a problem because there are fewer flights operating today compared to pre-pandemic, Wise said. In May, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines pilots' unions voted to authorize strikes. Is a pilot strike likely this summer?Īnother source of potential disruption is airline pilot strikes. Download your airline's app and enable notifications so you don't miss updates and offers. ➤ What you can do: If bad weather is expected, monitor the conditions in your flight path and take advantage of airline offers to reschedule without change fees. "When there’s bad weather over the airfield, air traffic control has to get the airplane circling until it’s ready to land.” “We’re seeing more extreme weather patterns, and that will cause some delays,” he said. Turbulence is becoming more common on flights because of climate change, said travel expert Nicholas Wise, an assistant professor at Arizona State University’s School of Community Resources and Development. El Niño conditions are typically unfavorable for the formation of hurricanes.Įxtreme climate conditions also can disrupt air travel, as the Canadian wildfires demonstrated recently. The National Hurricane Center expects a near-normal hurricane season with 12 to 17 named storms, including five to nine hurricanes. The recent start of an El Niño cycle could affect this year’s hurricane season. That can affect whether your flight is delayed or canceled and how smooth or bumpy your plane ride is. Wild weather can hinder air travel, whether it’s an Arizona monsoon storm or a hurricane over the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. Here are three of the biggest potential flight disruptors this summer and what you can do about them: How the weather could disrupt flights this summer Summer travelers should be prepared in case things don’t go according to plan. Several airlines, including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, allowed travelers to change flights at Northeast airports without penalty. Pilots had to decide whether low visibility posed too much of a hazard. "In fact, that streak started before the weekend: a remarkable seven days of no cancels."īut the good luck streak ended when smoke in the Northeast from the Canadian wildfires tested airline operations. "We did not cancel a single mainline flight (Memorial Day) weekend," American Airlines CEO David Seymour said in a statement. Memorial Day weekend came and went with no major disruptions, even as AAA forecasted about 42.3 million Americans would travel 50 miles or more from home for the holiday, including about 3.4 million air travelers.Īmerican Airlines, which represents about 40% of flight capacity at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, said it delivered its best-ever Memorial Day service while operating its largest mainline schedule (exclusive of alliances and regional subsidiaries) for the holiday, transporting more than 2.9 million passengers on more than 26,000 flights from May 25-29. The tourism industry remains vigilant to head off potential problems. Watch Video: Five smaller (often cheaper) airports in USĪs air travel has come roaring back since the pandemic, flight disruptions have periodically made it difficult for people to reach their destinations.ĭelays and cancellations from a huge winter storm in late December and another one in late January, a Federal Aviation Administration computer malfunction and computer problems at Southwest Airlines have cost travelers time, money and aggravation.
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