Get ready for crowded airports and longer security lines this summer, as new statistics predict that American carriers are expected to carry a record number of passengers in 2017, with an estimated 234 million fliers set to take to the skies on US airlines this summer alone.
Thanks to a steadily improving economy, historically low airfares and increasing household incomes, this summer will see more than 2.54 million passengers take flight on a US airline per day -- a growth of four percent over last year, says Airlines for America.
Airline schedules also show that domestic seat supply is up 3.8 percent over last year -- its highest level in a decade -- while international seat supply is at an all-time high, with 6 percent growth.
The figures are projections for the travel period June 1 to August 31.
Overall, airlines are adding 123,000 seats a day across their networks.
The report also showed that the average roundtrip airfare is down about 9 percent or $32 since 2014.
While the current news cycle would suggest otherwise with a string of headlines about bumped passengers and onboard spats between airline staff and fliers, the survey also shows that customer complaints to the Department of Transportation fell in the first quarter of 2017 to 1.19 complaints for every 100,000 passengers.
The statistic seems to corroborate the findings of the latest JD Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study, which found that customer satisfaction with airlines in North America is on the rise, thanks to lower fares, better on-time performance and fewer lost bags.
The JD Power report polled passengers between April 2016 and March 2017, before the infamous incident in which a paying United Airlines customer was forcibly removed from his seat, setting off a chain of headline-grabbing incidents.
Airlines for America is an advocacy group for US carriers.
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