But crowded flights, delays expected nonetheless

Summer is generally the time when business travelers must expect to share terminal space and aircraft seating with hordes of vacationers. But this summer, the airline industry is actually expecting a slight decline in passenger traffic. Since airlines have been scaling back their domestic schedules, that might not offer much relief to harried road warriors, however; the industry is predicting that flights will go out 85 percent full, on average. The Air Transport Association – the trade group for U.S. carriers – said in its annual summer forecast that it expects to see 211.5 million revenue passengers from June 1 through August 31, down from 214.2 million last summer – a one percent decline. “Record-high jet fuel prices, a weakening economy and airline capacity cuts are the main reasons for the reduction in the number of passengers,” ATA said. “Still,” it added, “airplanes will be flying with relatively full loads,” so the group is encouraging travelers to check in online and print out boarding passes before going to the airport. It also advises vacation travelers to check with their airline regarding checked baggage policies, since many carriers have recently adopted new fees for checking more than one bag per person, and may have also increased their charges for overweight bags. The airline trade group said it expects to see the usual problems with delays this summer, especially on flights that fly from, to or through the northeast. ATA noted that almost half of all domestic flight delays happen in the New York-Philadelphia region, and ATA is urging the federal government to continue implementing new procedures aimed at speeding up air traffic in that region. On May 16, the Transportation Department said it will henceforth require airlines and travel agents to disclose in their ads the fee for checking a second bag. Also, DOT issued a final rule requiring airlines to report more complete data on the amount of time flights spend sitting on the tarmac before takeoff or after landing. “Passengers should know whether it will take as long for their flight to get to the runway as it will to land at their destination,” said Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.