Airlines: 13 Things You Need To Understand

It seems as though more people are traveling these days, particularly as compared to the past two or three years. Families are back taking those cherished vacations, and they are using the airlines, and passenger trains, and taking road trips, as well. Here’s the deal, there are a few items we need to consider and talk about today concerning the airlines.

We’ve all seen reports of major storms on both the West and East Coasts via the news on TV. We’ve heard about power outages and homes torn to pieces with recent tornados. Mother Nature has hit some areas worse than others, but the whole country has been affected by weather issues during all the summer months.

Challenges for Employees and Customers

But more than weather challenges have put strains on all the airlines, and those challenges have also affected the employees and customers too. Let’s review some things you need to know and consider as you make flight plans this time of year.

We recently heard from some friends who were trying to get home from a trip to Florida. As they approached the terminal, flight passengers were lined out the door. Due to rough weather in the southeast, many of the flights had been canceled and the domino effect started. Add to that the fact that many airlines don’t have the staff to man the flights as originally scheduled, and now they were having to catch up and try to get people home.

Our friends almost had to spend the night in the airport and heard from other passengers that they had been “living” at the airport for a couple of days. Luckily they found a hotel after making several inquiries.

Hotels, Ubers, and car rentals were all overextended with the backlog of flights and passengers! Their situation prompted me to write this post today.

1. Shortage Of Air Traffic Control People

The problems brought on by the pandemic have been more than direct health-related. Most airports are under the control of local government entities. The costs to run the airports are covered by airlines through fees paid for gate access as the planes take off and land, the fees charged for parking, and property lease fees paid by concessions like restaurants, bars, and retail gift shops.

The reports on pandemic-related effects on airlines indicate that in 2020 passenger numbers were down 60% compared to 2019, with revenue from those passengers down 69%. That left airlines with net losses in excess of $126 billion in US dollars.

As is the case with most revenue-generating entities, the end user/customer ends up paying for airport services. As the pandemic became more widespread, governments limited access to countries and cities. That means thousands of flights were put on canceled status. If planes weren’t allowed in the air, the need for extensive teams of air traffic control staff was limited, yet the cost to run the airports remained. A solution, cut costs where possible, including air traffic control staff.

As air traffic increases, the need for more air traffic controllers has also increased. The challenge to ramp up is the time it takes to get people hired and trained sufficiently. If staff call in sick the air traffic control system is stretched and strained. Not sure why, but most industries are finding it hard to find good-quality staff, so the saga continues at airports.

The situation is further challenged by the aging of the typical air traffic controller. Many were approaching retirement age as the pandemic took hold, so trying to replace those who just won’t be coming back compounds the problem

2. Pilots Were Forced to Take Furloughs/Retire

Early on in the pandemic scenario, the government provided billions of dollars to the airlines, as they did other industries, in the form of aid to meet payrolls. Once that aid expired and wasn’t renewed through legislation, the airlines were forced to take action on their own.

No one questions the need for pilots on every flight. If flights were no longer scheduled due to the pandemic, the airlines were faced with a tough decision. How can they cut costs by reducing the number of pilots on the payroll or reducing payroll hours worked without also seeing some of the pilots go on strike or jump ship?

During Covid, many airlines had to do cost-cutting measures because no one was flying, as mentioned. Some of the airlines considered going so far as to offer incentives to get the pilots to consider early retirement. What was finally determined was that pilots would be placed on furlough with the more tenured pilots able to return earlier than those with less time on the job.

The passengers lost during the pandemic are now returning in record numbers and the airlines are scrambling to meet the demand for scheduled flights and the needed crews.

3. Flight Attendants and Other Staff Are In Short Supply

Staff members of all kinds, from flight attendants, ticket desk workers, luggage handlers, and other ground crew workers were laid off as a result of the pandemic. Now the airlines are trying to get those people back, trained, and ready to go.

There have been a number of changes that took effect over the last year or so and staff, particularly the flight attendants, have had to make adjustments in how they do their jobs. Due to staff shortages, airline workers are under stresses not seen in the past. Some of those include:

• Unpredictable schedules as routes are added, changed, or canceled. You may end up dealing with a frazzled agent helping you at the ticket counter. Be patient, unless you missed the boarding time deadline you’ll get on the plane.
• Many flights still have a skeleton crew trying to cover all the bases.
• The cleaning of planes has become more strict, yet the time to do so remains the same.
• There are still passengers who expect others to follow pandemic protocol, even though they have been eliminated. The passengers seem to be on edge and are causing more problems than pre-pandemic.
• With supply chain issues still affecting many industries, the airlines don’t always have what you’re used to seeing during food and drink service. If you need that pretzel to help make your day, buy one before boarding.
• Many flight attendants and other staff members are struggling with some mental health challenges. The workload, safety concerns, family care, and other issues have created problems while they try to do their jobs.

4. The Price of Flight Fuel Is Still Expensive

As you’ve noticed at the gas pump and grocery store, the prices for most things are up. That also applies to what the airlines have to pay for their flight fuel. You don’t see a lot of discounting on tickets with the major airlines, although some smaller airlines run specials from time to time.

The turmoil in Ukraine, the unsettled state of affairs in the Middle East, reduced oil production by OPEC, new restrictions on offshore drilling, and other global pressures have caused prices for gas for your car and flight fuel for the airline to stay high. Unless things change, they are likely to stay high for the time being.

Airlines use a lot of fuel to get those planes from point A to point B, thus, a lot of money is spent on every flight to fill those planes with fuel. Although manufacturers like Boeing are designing planes to be more fuel efficient, replacing the fleet with those new planes will take time and the cost of expensive fuel will continue to be a key factor in pricing passenger tickets.

5. Passports Are Slow in Coming

With the renewed interest in travel of all kinds, whether by plane, train, cruise ship, or cross-border by car, more people are applying for a new valid passport, or renewing their existing ones. The federal government must not have properly anticipated this surge and the issuance of passports is definitely behind schedule.

One of our granddaughters tried to renew hers a year ago and is still waiting. I think her situation is the exception, but don’t wait until the last minute to apply. If this is your first time applying for a passport, be sure you have a copy of your official birth certificate and other proof of identification documentation available as part of the application process.

6. The Weather May Control The Flights

Extreme weather throughout the country is affecting flight schedules and causing cancelations. When you purchase your ticket, particularly the smart travelers who want the best price and the preferred best seats, you have no idea what the weather will be like on your date of departure or return.

Who knew that we’d have a more active tropical storm season, or that temperatures in the Southwest would be so high that planes are unable to take off? The key to successful travel is to plan ahead for those “date critical” events like weddings and maybe travel a day or two early, just in case.

7. Airlines Have Overbooked Flights

It all depends on the airline when it comes to overbooking flights. They actually have a series of algorithms to determine how many people won’t show up for a particular flight and they overbook the flight accordingly. If you are bumped from a flight the compensation schedules are in place per DOT (Department of Transportation).

Some airlines give a hotel or a food voucher if your flight is overbooked and the next flight isn’t until the next day. I’ve been told that the overbooked flights are less frequent these days, but I don’t have anything to support that position. Again, book early to reduce the risk of it happening to you.

Mark and I like to fly non-stop, as I’m sure most fliers do. The number of stops, called segments, can ultimately affect your flight time in ways you don’t expect. There could be an unexpected delay in your plane’s arrival and then departure, making it difficult for timely takeoff to make the next connecting flight. The crew at the departure gate counter can give you a heads-up so you and the people awaiting your arrival are kept informed.

8. Families or Individuals Stuck At Airports

Unless you’re one of those who can sleep almost anywhere, the last thing you want to do is sleep on the floor of an airport. In the case of severe storms, some airports MAY provide cots and blankets for you, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Make sure you put in your carry-on luggage things you may need if your checked luggage is in transit without you. Consider things like your prescriptions, at least one set of underwear, a toothbrush, some toothpaste, deodorant, and maybe some sleeping pills. A thin blanket you can roll up would be awesome if you have to sleep at the airport. Turkish Beach Towels

You may want to consider getting a cell phone, tablet, or laptop charger that you keep in your suitcase for your travels. Belkin Wall Mount Don’t forget to add some snacks you could eat that are affordable compared to those you would need to purchase at the airport.

When in doubt, add what you THINK you could not live without if your luggage has gone onto say, Texas and you’re stuck in another state for a day or two.

Remember, the airlines are required to help you find a place to stay or compensate you otherwise if it is a “controllable” situation. That would include staffing issues and plane maintenance requirements that have caused your flight to be canceled. Bad weather doesn’t apply!

9. Items To Have With You At All Times

If by chance the flights are canceled because of power outages or extreme weather conditions (Mother Nature Storms) there will typically be no reimbursement because the airlines have no control over the weather.
Now in the case of staffing, here again, it depends on the airline, they may give you a voucher for food or possibly a hotel voucher. If you have concerns check with your individual airlines for their compensation rules.

I highly recommend Packing Cubes, you can put your underwear in one, makeup, shaving gear, toothbrush, or whatever in its own bag. Then if you are one of the “lucky ones” who gets to have your suitcase searched, no one is touching your underwear or throwing your shirt, tops, or whatever in a pile. You fold them, place them in their own cube and fill your suitcase with them filled and organized.

We went to visit some family a few years ago, and Mark was picked to have his suitcase searched. Oh my goodness, the person searching must have been looking for something dangerous (which they did not find) and his stuff was strewn all over the counter for everyone to see. Yeah, not a pretty picture.

10. The Cost of Luggage on Flights

You may get promotional materials from various airlines with some “too good to be true” pricing. Many of the smaller airlines will advertise awesome pricing for specific destinations. One thing you might not realize without reading the small print is that there are fees or special charges that you don’t expect.

Most major airlines let you check at least one piece of luggage and allow one carry-on piece. The “discount” airlines will typically charge for each piece of luggage, adding a cost for your trip that reduces the “savings” advertised.

Some airlines, like Southwest, will allow two pieces of luggage included in your quoted fare. Do some research and make your airline decision accordingly. Do some price comparison shopping before booking your flight since the posted lowest fare may not actually save you money in the long run.

Also, be aware there are limits to the size and weight of any piece of luggage. Check that out with your chosen airline so you won’t get a surprise fee when you go to check-in.

We just got back from our grandson’s wedding in California and pulled up to our Airbnb and another grandson came out and asked to help carry our luggage in, we only carry one 20-inch suitcase each, nothing more than a purse to carry my laptop.

He said, “Is this all you brought?” We have traveled for years and carry fewer items than most people. He started laughing because the rest of the family brought several pieces of luggage for the week. LOL!

11. Baggage/Name Tags

Please be aware that the tags you have on your suitcase may get ripped off accidentally with all the baggage being transferred onto the planes or when you switch to another airline to meet your destination.

I have a friend that works at a small airline who mentioned if the tags are missing and no one picks up the suitcase, they rummage (with gloves) through the suitcases to hopefully find a name to contact. With that in mind, I’ve started to put an additional tag inside the suitcase just in case. Usually, Mark and I travel with just a carry-on, but I even put one in there in case we get separated due to “at the gate” luggage check-in.

12. Airport Lounge Club (The name depends on the Airlines)

Some airports or airlines have day passes for use of their passenger lounges, while others may have annual passes. Minute Suites may also be available (for an hourly fee) at the airport where you are stranded. At least there you get a bed and a place to “freshen up.” Some credit cards come with an annual fee that allows you some different benefits to give you access to lounges at certain airports too. Check with your credit card company.

I’ve been told that Marriott Hotels and other companies partner with various credit card companies that offer a Priority Pass that allows you to enter certain airline lounges. There may be a fee you pay for entrance. Check with them about availability, cost, and any restrictions.

13. Be Kind

Travel seems to be somewhat stressful for most of us for various reasons. Some people don’t like the takeoffs and landings. Some have to travel with children who aren’t used to traveling or have issues with their ears being plugged, need a nap, or they’re hungry. Others want a drink before loading to help settle their nerves.

In any case, the golden rule should dictate how you treat others on your trip. You want airline flight crew personnel and other passengers to treat you with respect and to be courteous, we all should do the same.

Final Word

The airline industry is one of the largest in the world and we tend to take for granted all that goes into that flight you’re on. Try to make the most of each trip, make them memorable and at the lowest cost and most convenient as possible. Let me know if you have any other ideas I can pass on to my readers about your best travel tips. May God Bless this World. Linda

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