Summer is here, which for many of us means long, lazy days spent doing what we love. Another mainstay of summer — both now, and probably for awhile to come — is the reality of flight disruptions, cancellations and travel mishaps.
While there’s nothing great about disappointed and frustrated travelers, it’s important to keep the situation in perspective. There are about 45,000 daily flights in the U.S., so if 1,000 are delayed or canceled, that means 98% of travelers are getting to their destination as planned. (Of course, “1,000 Flights Canceled” makes for a much better headline.)
All you have to do is check social media to see how happy people are to finally be taking a summer vacation. Just this week, I saw friends and family going everywhere from Montana to Paris, Cape Cod to Kenya. I’m sure you’re hearing from plenty of happy clients, as well. With the end of inbound COVID-19 testing in the U.S., surveys estimate that more than 40% of travelers plan to take an international trip in the coming year. Travel is back, and despite the challenges, the positives of that greatly outweigh the negatives.
This is not to say that there aren’t problems with our air traffic system. All indications are that it’s going to be awhile before the supply catches up with demand, but it will happen eventually. In the meantime, keep reminding clients that they need to get to the airport earlier than usual; that they should sign up for Clear or TSA PreCheck; and that they will need to be more flexible and patient than usual. And, most importantly, all travelers should be using a travel advisor. Wouldn’t it be nice to see more articles in mainstream media — running alongside all the stories of airport chaos — reminding readers that the best way to avoid problems is to leave the planning to a professional?
It’s easy to get frustrated by the current state of air travel, but ultimately, what people will remember about this summer are the great experiences they had and the opportunity to see the world once again.
