The travel industry is booming at the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic. While people canceled plans and quarantined themselves in their homes, relaxing restrictions now caused a rise in demand. Most airlines see themselves struggling with the impact of the pandemic valley the industry suffered through. Alaska Airlines is on the brink of a pilot strike. American Airlines let go of 50 flight attendants. And the industry itself advocates for lower pilot requirements. Delta is getting in front of the problem by committing to cancel 100 flights a day this summer.
Delta to Cancel 100 Flights a Day in July and August
The Atlanta-based airline, Delta, committed to reducing the flight schedule by 100 daily departures from July 1 to August 7. The move comes as a strategy to prevent summer travel disruptions.
According to the airline, surging post-pandemic demand forced the carrier to decide on the cancellations, claiming it would “build additional resilience in our system and improve operational reliability for our customers and employees.”
Chief Customer Experience Officer for Delta, Allison Ausband, explained several factors that resulted in Delta underperforming. Some of these include increased sick calls due to COVID, poor weather, and vendor staffing. “We deeply appreciate the energy and efforts of our people and the confidence of our customers as we adapt and pivot to ensure we provide the airline-of-choice experience we’re so proud to be known for,” she said. Delta said that it would contact customers whose flights are affected by the summer changes.
Travel Industry’s Achilles Heel
The travel industry, and airlines specifically, suffered greatly during the pandemic. Few people needed to travel with countries shutting down their borders and companies going remote. The result caused massive declines in planes, staff, and operations. While most of the industry is happy about the resurgence, every week brings new problems airlines have to troubleshoot and solve. Consequently, the increased demand for travel by people eager to reconnect with the world proves the industry’s biggest strength and problem.
