NEW YORK — US airlines are scrambling to ramp back up to meet soaring travel demand that has transformed America’s airports from cavernous to crowded almost overnight.
The surge in pent-up demand is exposing immediate staffing shortfalls in the aviation workforce, as well as medium-term labor challenges following an exodus of experienced workers during the downturn.
The issues came to a head over the weekend when American Airlines canceled 400 flights and said it would cut one percent of its flights in July to better manage an “incredibly quick ramp-up of customer demand.”
While American was more aggressive than rivals in adding capacity, all major carriers face challenges …
Keep on reading: Lifting off? Sudden travel surge tests US airlines