Severe air travel disruptions could become everyday occurrences rather than isolated incidents on holidays and other peak travel times without significant investment into infrastructure and talent, U.S. Travel Association president and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a media call on Wednesday.
With travel demand this summer "as strong as we've seen since before the pandemic and potentially the strongest ever," travelers also are likely to experience "substantial frustrations" with delays, cancellations and long lines due to the "chronically underfunded" aviation infrastructure, Freeman said. U.S. carriers already this month have announced cutbacks on New York and Washington capacity for the summer in anticipation of air traffic control staffing shortages, and JetBlue this week predicted a challenging operations environment.
Those challenges already largely are "baked in" for the summer, but delayed action will make the situation worse for the foreseeable future, he said.
"The coming summer travel season will be a stress test, and unfortunately a likely wake-up call, for many policymakers," Freeman said. "If we don't get cranking on changes now, these problems will continue into 2024 and beyond."
Among the actions the U.S. federal government should be taking, Freeman said, are significant investment into workforce development for such positions as pilots and mechanics and billions of dollars of investment in both airport infrastructure and air traffic control technology and personnel. He noted that there currently are 1,200 fewer air traffic controllers than there were 10 years ago and said the U.S. needs to hire 1,800 new controllers annually over the next three years to keep apace.
Freeman said a frustrating airport and travel experience could dissuade international travel into the United States, as could long lines at U.S. Customs upon arrival and long visa wait times. Freeman also said he's also spoken to corporate travel professionals who have cited the Covid-19 vaccination requirement for most inbound foreign travelers as a deterrent for visiting the U.S. That requirement is likely to end in May, with the Biden administration's move earlier this month ending the Covid-19 national emergency, and the requirement "can't end soon enough," Freeman said.