Travelers upset by increasing numbers of canceled flights

As the Bate family rushed to catch their flight home to Houston, they got the call that so many are dreading, and that increasing numbers of airline passengers will receive this year.

The Continental Airlines employee told them that there was a problem, although they were unsure whether it was a problem with the crew or the plane. Whatever the reason, the Bate family now needed another means of getting home.

“There were a lot of unhappy faces in line” said Mrs. Bate of the scene at the ticket counter. “If they told us to come back the next morning, we were not going to be easy to get along with.”

This is a call that millions of airline passengers in the U.S. have received, as carriers have cancelled nearly 65,000 flights this year – so far. That number is close to total for all of last year, according to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. It seems that travelers are going to be forced to be more creative, and tolerant, as airlines continue to add to cancellations in their schedules as 2008 progresses.

United Airlines is planning to cut up to 14 percent of seats on domestic flights before year end. American’s plan is to cut 12 percent of its capacity after the summer season ends; and Continental’s reductions are expected to total around 11 percent, beginning in September.

Airlines are hoping that reduced capacity will enable them to raise airfares so that they can cope with the crippling cost of jet fuel.

www.bts.gov