Memorial Day weekend typically marks the start of the busy summer travel season, but this year it represents something more: the end of one of the worst chapters in airline history.
After losing billions of dollars during the pandemic, airlines expect strong demand over the next few months as Americans embrace a return to normalcy.
Fares have nearly climbed back to prepandemic levels and travelers are booking flights months ahead, giving airlines the confidence to schedule more flights.
The Transportation Security Administration plans to hire about 1,000 employees by July 4.
The number of Americans flying for fun or to visit friends and family has almost completely recovered, airlines say.
But some parts of the travel experience will be different this summer. Masks are still required in airports and on airplanes through at least mid-September.
According to flight schedules, only a handful of states are expected to see more flights in July than in the same month in 2019. They tend to be home to beach and mountain destinations, including Orlando.
Finding a rental car will be harder than it was before the pandemic. That’s because the rental industry sold off some of its fleet to survive.
Lines and waits may be longer as airports, airlines, hotels and other travel businesses struggle to manage more travelers with fewer employees.
Despite the optimism, airlines still have a long recovery ahead.
Two big money makers -- corporate and international travel -- remain depressed. With businesses embracing remote work and countries around the world still struggling to contain the virus and administer vaccines, no one knows how soon such travel will rebound.
The industry is unlikely to see passenger volumes return to full prepandemic levels until at least 2023, according to Airlines for America, a trade group that represents the nation’s largest carriers.
Air travel is also limited by the speed with which cities and attractions reopen.
“The constraint is being able to get a hotel, or a rental car, or things like that,” Vasu Raja, the chief revenue officer at American Airlines, told investors recently.
But those barriers are falling.
The European Union is opening its borders to vaccinated tourists, including Americans. In the United States, cities, states and popular tourist attractions like Walt Disney World are rolling back pandemic restrictions.
“We aren't through the end of the tunnel yet, but we clearly see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Scott Kirby, the chief executive of United Airlines, told investors.
Airlines are hiring pilots and flight attendants and rebuilding once-dormant schedules.
“We've been very, very pleased with the pace of demand recovery,” Delta’s president, Glen Hauenstein, said. “It's good to see the traffic coming back at a very rapid pace.”
Niraj Chokshi is a business reporter at The New York Times. He writes about transportation, with a focus on autonomous vehicles, airlines and logistics.
Produced by Crista Chapman and Vikas Bajaj