Summer air travel could be a ‘recipe for frustration'

CNN

23-05-2025

US air travel has seen a very bumpy year filled with safety incidents, fatal accidents and an air traffic control meltdown that has expedited plans for a complete overhaul of the system.
2025 started with a tragedy in Washington, when 67 people died in a midair collision between a commercial jet and an Army helicopter. Heightened anxieties stirred national attention to close calls between commercial jets and go-around maneuvers performed by pilots to prevent accidents. To top it off, an air traffic control meltdown plagued Newark Liberty International Airport for weeks after staffing shortages and technology outages caused hours-long delays.
All this raising the question: What will summer look like for air travelers in the US?
Prepare for disruptions, experts say.
The kickoff to the summer travel season starts with Memorial Day weekend, when United Airlines alone is expected to fly 300,000 more passengers than last year.
The Federal Aviation Administration is expecting record-high travel over the holiday weekend and its busiest summer in 15 years, with the peak at the end of July. The agency has said it's prepared for the high volume, but travel industry experts warn that understaffing and infrastructure breakdowns could complicate operations.
There are plans in the works from the Department of Transportation and the FAA to address these issues at airports and air traffic control facilities, but a complete revamp of the air traffic control system will take at least the next three to four years.
If you're traveling this summer, be sure to plan for a possible disruption.
Disruptions are 'always worse in the summer,' said Hayley Berg, lead economist at travel booking and price tracking company Hopper.
'In the summer, there's more people flying,' Berg said. 'Airports are busier, I think we are certainly starting to see the impact of understaffing, as airlines are now in their second or third year of flying full capacity and air traffic and airport staffing are not back to the levels that we would need to support the volume.'
Overall, she said, disruption rates are down for May compared to previous years, however, specific airports have had a bad month.
Newark Liberty International Airport has dealt with four separate technology outages since April 28. Staffing is stretched thin at the facility that controls approaches and departures of flights, and a runway is still under construction. The FAA ordered airlines to decrease flights at Newark by about 25%, compared to the number of flights there in early April. After June 15, when runway construction is not ongoing, some flights can return – but the airport is still limited to fewer flights than before.
Les Abend, a retired American Airlines Boeing 777 captain, said the problems that have been plaguing Newark recently could 'start leaking out of other facilities.'
But he underlined that the US already has next-generation (NextGen) air traffic control capabilities. 'It's the infrastructure that supplies the data that's become the issue,' he said.
Disruptions such as the air traffic control outages that happened at Newark can create a 'domino effect' on flights in other places.
Add air traffic controller shortages and the time that it takes to train a controller at any given facility to that mix, plus typical summer storms that can slow operations, and 'Yeah, it can be a recipe for frustration for travelers. There's no doubt,' said Abend.
'The fact that we're seeing that our infrastructure is breaking down, to some extent — it's not going to collapse by any means — it's just going to be bits and pieces. And it's just going to create frustration as far as delays, cancellations, so on and so forth.'
But he added that he wants to reassure the public.
'It's still a safe system. If you lose contact with air traffic control, we as pilots have a system and a protocol to do certain things,' Abend said.
Abend said he's not anticipating system-wide disruption this summer.
'I would say the majority of times, you're going to get to where you want to go when you're scheduled to get there.'
Summer is a hotspot at Newark Airport, which is an international hub for many flyers heading to Europe or many other transatlantic destinations, Berg said.
'Those passengers, I think, are certainly feeling some anxiety about what their travel plans are going to look like,' she said.
Despite the natural hassle that comes with packed airports and crowded planes, most travelers will still take the trip, according to Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp, an online service that helps travelers seek compensation when plans are disrupted.
But he thinks many passengers have changed their attitudes towards Newark Airport.
'(Travelers) are really cautious on what's going on and how they fly, and I think the media attention also brought up quite a lot of problems to the surface, that existed for years,' he said.
Domestic airfare is down about 3% from the same time last year, which is the lowest level since 2021 at $265 per round trip ticket, Hopper's 2025 summer travel outlook reported. Fares to Europe are down about 8% from 2024.
'I'm expecting a business-as-usual summer, maybe a little less of a crowd on the busiest days as people try to travel on cheaper days of the week,' Berg said.
However, a recent survey from Bankrate shows 54% of adults expect to spend less on travel, eating out or entertainment this year, compared to last year. Of those surveyed, 65% of Americans who are not traveling this summer say they can't afford it and another 23% say they're not interested.
But United Airlines, which has a major hub at Newark, expects to serve more passengers this season. In June, July and August, United expects to fly nearly 50 million passengers, about a 3 million passenger uptick from last year's summer.
So far, the busiest US air travel day this year was April 17 with over 54,000 flights, according to the FAA. The FAA expects six more days of over 54,000 flights through the end of August.
While there are many things up in the air with travel this summer, experts say it's important to follow a few simple tips to try to have the least amount of disruption.
Flying direct will help alleviate the stress of missing a connection at other airports, Pawliszyn said. He also recommends flying in the morning and avoiding the weekend.
'Until we stop hearing stories about Newark,' Abend said he would book New York-area flights through JFK or LaGuardia this summer.
He also advised travelers to take a proactive stance on potential disruptions, keeping an eye on where the aircraft servicing their flight is coming from and what the weather is like there. If storms are likely to slow things down, passengers may want to change their flights.
CNN's Marnie Hunter contributed to this report.