US tourism faces turbulence this travel season: “It really is a perfect storm of a lot of things affecting the airlines”

Airlines are preparing for a summer of disruption as problems beset travelers across the United States.

Summer should be a boom time for airlines and this year had been billed as a big one for the industry. But a series of issues threatens to harm the demand and worsen conditions for travelers. Here’s a look at the problems in store...

Issues with air traffic control in the US continue to cause delays and cancellations. The year began with a tragic air crash at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which saw airline stocks lose around 20% of their value.

Low staffing numbers remain a major issue, too, particularly ahead of the busier summer period. At Newark Liberty International Airport there have been reports of air traffic controllers losing radar communications and contact with planes in the air.

In financial terms, an unstable economic situation has dented the dollar and Americans are generally feeling poorer at the moment. With the uncertainty of President Trump’s tariffs and warnings of economic regression, some will be discouraged from travelling. The weaker dollar will be felt particularly acutely by foreign travelers, who find that their money doesn’t go quite as far overseas.

Further complicating the picture for American vacationers is a key change to airport security that could make flying trickier for some people. The TSA now requires ‘Real ID’ to get through checkpoints at airports, something that many do not possess.

The new security rules are just one factor that could affect numbers but they look set to contribute to a broadly slower year than had been hoped for by airlines.

“It really is a perfect storm of a lot of things affecting the airlines,” explained William McGee of the American Economic Liberties Project think tank. “Summer is definitely going to be softer for the airlines. And summer is where the biggest part of the money is made.”

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