Industry trade organisation Airlines for America (A4A) is forecasting a record summer for US airlines.
A4A estimates that US carriers will fly 271 million passengers overt the summer period – up 6.3 per cent on the 255 million recorded in summer 2023, which itself was a record figure for the industry.
The organisation also forecast that US passenger airlines will operate 26,000 scheduled daily flights this summer, up by nearly 1,400 on last year.
In October United announced it would operate its largest ever transatlantic schedules this summer, with flights to a total of 38 destinations.
American Airlines is also launching a raft of new and resumed routes to European destinations in the coming weeks, and JetBlue will commence flights between New York JFK and Edinburgh next week.
Meanwhile Delta is also launching routes from JFK to Munich and Naples, as well as resuming flights to Shannon.
Commenting on the news Rebecca Spicer, A4A senior vice president of communication, said:
“US airlines are excited to fly a record number of travellers this summer. Our carriers have adjusted their schedules to adapt to current realities of our National Airspace System (NAS), helping to alleviate some of those pressure points and making for a smooth summer travel season.”