Tips for flyers as airport staffing issues continue to impact travel industry

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – On Monday alone, there have been greater than 600 flights listed as canceled throughout america. As we get nearer to the Fourth of July weekend, buyer demand to fly will solely enhance and staffing is struggling to maintain up.

Mark Trammel was ready at Blue Grass Airport for his flight to Tampa, Florida. His flight was on time, however when not too long ago flying out of different airports to Tampa, he skilled a number of cancelations.

“Two full days misplaced staying on the airport so, yeah. Alleged to be at work,” Trammel stated.

If you happen to’re flying this summer time, chances are high you possibly can relate. Trammel not too long ago canceled his personal flight out of Dallas to Omaha, Nebraska. There was a pilot strike in Dallas and he didn’t assume he’d make it to the School World Sequence in time, so he drove 10 hours.

“Been delayed 3 times already this 12 months. So I used to be frightened we’d not make it to the sport,” Trammel stated.

Why is the airline trade experiencing turbulence? Sean Howard, the chief flying teacher at EKU Aviation Program, instructed us it’s a provide and demand concern.

A pent-up demand by People to journey, mixed with staffing points. He stated COVID pressured numerous airline pilots into retirement, and 13% of airline pilots will retire in 5-6 years, inflicting a gap within the pilot pipeline.

The airways are pulling in pilots from regional airports to assist the main airports, leaving a staffing hole on the regional facet, which is used as a backup plan for pilot staffing.

“If there’s not sufficient backup plans for the airline, what they wind up doing is canceling the flights,” Howard stated.

These occasions trickle all the way down to Roxanne Laks’ desk at AAA. She’s labored as a journey agent there for 19 years.

She says she’s by no means needed to cope with this quantity of cancellations in her profession.

“I’m contacting purchasers a number of occasions per week with cancellations. It’s not a cheerful dialog, persons are all the time disenchanted, particularly since they’ve delayed journey due to COVID,” Laks stated.

Laks has some tricks to work round a possible delay in your trip plans. She stated construct in an additional day earlier than you fly out, simply in case you’re delayed. She additionally suggests shopping for journey insurance coverage and taking a direct flight as a result of layovers will be delayed or canceled.

“Each cease is a chance for catastrophe,” Laks stated.

Nevertheless, flights are working easy to date at Blue Grass Airport.

“Happily at Blue Grass Airport we’ve been minimally impacted by the cancellations that we’re seeing throughout the nation,” stated Lauren White, neighborhood relations supervisor at Blue Grass Airport.

An airport spokesperson stated they’ll’t predict if disruption will come to Lexington. If it does, consultants recommend having a backup plan or be grounded.

“Yeah you simply have to take a seat there, ask for some vouchers,” Trammel stated.

Howard stated the airline trade is including 500 airline pilots a month, but it surely’ll take time to fill the gaps.

EKU itself graduates about 50 college students a 12 months type its program.

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