Funviralpark something happened I’m interested in the US Transportation Security Administration’s data on passenger numbers at airports in the last month. The Sunday after Thanksgiving was, as usual, very busy, with 2.6 million people being tested at security checkpoints. This is the highest number in a single day since the pandemic began and shows that more people are returning to travel again. But other historical patterns did not hold.Friday Previous Almost a week before the holiday, Turkey Day was busier than the same day in 2019, and almost as busy as the day before the holiday. People are traveling again, but not the way they used to.
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The airline predicted that the Thanksgiving trip would be strange. Between stalled travel demand, very high ticket prices, and flexible work-from-home schedules, some people have chosen to fly at different times than in previous years. During the holidays, we predict similar pattern-breaking trips from now, past Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Day. “This year’s bookings are a little different,” Andrew Nocera, United Airlines executive his vice president and chief commercial officer, said on a conference call with investors in October. has spread over several days.”
In other words, the Great Holiday Rush became the Great Holiday Mash, a more intense travel blob than a big burst of spikes. A study conducted by consultancy Deloitte found that American travelers are adding an average of six days to their seasonal trips this year due to flexible working arrangements. With remote work seemingly taking hold, the way some people travel on vacation has changed forever. You’ll be able to skip the busiest and busiest days of the travel season, and perhaps save a little money doing so.
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The lower peak, more dispersed holiday scramble is also Christmas music to airline ears. “Demand is always high, so we can be much more efficient,” said American Airlines CEO Robert Isom at an event hosted by travel news site Skift in November. Companies and hotels are still short of pilots, cleaners and attendants, and may no longer have to switch planes and rooms as quickly as they do during the traditional holiday season. Less competition among passengers could mean the company gets more bookings overall, United Airlines CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement to investors this fall. When I explained this phenomenon, I said, “This will help our operations.
Unfortunately, this change could mean less rest time for traveling workers. Sarah Nelson, president of the Flight Attendants Association (CWA), a union of 50,000 members, said in a statement: “We used to plan our own vacation and work schedules to fit our typical travel patterns. Now planes are always full. It’s getting harder to use.”
Why is the holiday travel blob popping up now? It’s the collision of three trends in the way people move and work in the face of pandemic-era lockdowns and restrictions.
One is the increase in remote or hybrid work. A recent survey found that 14% of full-time U.S. employees work entirely remotely, and 29% work outside the office several days a week. Second, many people have pandemic hangovers, and not through the urge to lie down, as most hangovers do, whether visiting mom or going to see the world. , expresses itself in the desire to get outside. , some people are considering traveling on non-peak days. Vic Krishnan, partner at McKinsey who provides consulting to aviation, travel and aerospace clients, said: Industries.
