With summer vacation just weeks away for North Texas school districts, many families are gearing up for a vacation.
There is a travel warning that may come as no surprise – this summer could be the busiest travel season yet.
Fort Worth-based American Airlines is bracing for their largest schedule ever this summer at DFW Airport. The company expects to serve over 11 million customers at the big airport on more than 97,000 flights between May 17 and September 3. AA will also have 10 percent more departures than last summer.
DFW, which is American’s largest hub, will surpass pre-pandemic levels of flying this summer.
“American set a new standard for operational reliability in 2023, and that track record is the foundation that allows us to grow to historic levels this summer,” said American Airlines Senior Vice president of DFW Hub Operations. “By putting the customer at the center of everything we do, we’re running the best operation in our history. And none of this would be possible without our 25,000 DFW-based team members who are the driving force behind out success.”
American began preparing for the summer last year by hiring and training more team members, ensuring its vendor partners are ready, and preparing its aircraft, equipment and facilities.
AA also completed advance work on its fleet to reduce maintenance delays. It has improved tools and technology to react fast and more efficient to storms and other issues.
“We would not take on a schedule like that if we didn’t think we were prepared both from a team members perspective and ensuring we’ve got the staff to do it,” said Moses.
As for the peak travel time this summer, travelers will need to be on their toes this July.
“The busiest day will be July 7. We will offer over 925 departures that day and offering over 128,000 seats for sale at DFW Airport that day,” said Moses.
Airlines have worked to stabilize following years of post-pandemic travel nightmares as travel numbers continue to surge globally.
American reports that it is currently running the most reliable operation in its history. Last year, the airlines canceled the fewest flights in its history and achieved the best results for on-time departures and arrivals since 2017. American also improved bag handling by 15% compared to 2022.
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Moses added they do not anticipate any flight disruptions or reduction this summer because of the recent investigations into plane-manufacturer Boeing. He said they have made some fall/winter schedule adjustments to their 787 aircraft.
Travelers can also expect some changes to Southwest Airlines.
The Dallas-based company announced recently they plan to scale back routes because of Boeing’s airplane delay and a 7 percent loss during the first quarter of the year.
One of those changes is canceling routes at bush intercontinental airport in Houston.
SWA said they will also stop service at the airport in Syracuse, New York, Bellingham International Airport in Washington state, and Cozumel International Airport in Mexico. The airline is also reducing capacity at Chicago and Atlanta airports.
The route changes are expected to start August 4, 2024.
