FAA and U.S. Airlines Holding Summit to Avoid More Flight Disruptions

The Federal Aviation Administration has asked U.S. airlines to a two-day summit to discuss how they can avoid the delays and cancellations that plagued carriers earlier this month in Florida from happening again this summer.

The meetings will be held, ironically enough, in Florida, according to CNBC.

The FAA is taking a proactive approach to improving air traffic flow into what is arguably the most tourist-driven destination in the country in what is expected to be one of the most heavily traveled summers in recent memory.

Earlier this month, several airlines – notably Spirit and JetBlue – were slammed by short-staffing coupled with weather-related thunderstorms in Florida that greatly disrupted air travel.

Rain and storms are only expected to intensify as the heat and humidity grows in Florida during the summer months, not to mention that hurricane season runs from June through November.

Spirit, JetBlue and American, which has a hub in Miami, are likely to attend, CNBC said.

“The limiting factor on the East Coast has been weather during a time of peak demand,” the FAA said in a statement.

The staffing shortage, including a pilot shortage, has also forced many airlines to trim its schedules for the summer.

“Nobody could have anticipated that Florida in April would have … 115 hours of [air traffic control] delays for that month, compared to 22 in 2019,” JetBlue Airways president Joanna Geraghty said on the company earnings call Tuesday. “So, these are challenging times, and I think we’re doing the responsible thing by taking capacity down and rightsizing it to reflect the resources we have and the external environment.”