Top Air Travel Stories From 2022

Top Air Travel Stories From 2022
The airline industry is crucial to the success of tourism in the United States, but 2022 was filled with a mixture of returning demand and the struggles associated with the droves of passengers who once again took to the skies. From TSA ending onboard mask mandates to airlines adjusting to the Russia-Ukraine War, aviation helped shape the travel industry. With delays and cancellations on the rise and airfares skyrocketing, it was far from a perfect year, though. The airline industry made major headlines over the last 12 months, and here are the top stories from 2022.

TSA Ends Mask Mandate on Planes
A federal judge in Florida ruled in April against the federal mandate requiring facial coverings on all forms of public transportation, including on airplanes and in airports.

United States District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa voided the mask mandate, saying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking.”

Airlines Adjust to Russia-Ukraine War
As a result of the war between Russia and Ukraine, Delta Air Lines suspended its codeshare agreement with Russian national carrier Aeroflot. The United Kingdom also banned its commercial airlines from Russian airspace and, as expected, Russia retaliated by banning British carriers.

Data shows the expectation for 2023 is global tourism recovery slowing as demand softens due to an economic downturn, the ongoing energy crisis in Europe and the war in Ukraine. Recovery to pre-pandemic levels is delayed until 2025 in terms of sectoral revenues.

Air Travel Starts to Meet, Exceed 2019 Totals
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced this morning that its agents screened 8.76 million travelers during Labor Day weekend, exceeding 2019 passenger screening volumes for the first time over a holiday weekend.

The 8.76 million fliers represent 102 percent of the volume compared to the same pre-pandemic holiday weekend in 2019 and is the first time that a holiday weekend passenger screening volume exceeds that of 2019.

In December, the TSA announced travel volumes at airports across the United States are expected to be close to pre-pandemic levels.

U.S. Delays REAL ID Implementation
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in December it would delay the implementation of the REAL ID rules until May 2025.

Officials previously announced the improved identification cards needed to board commercial planes or enter federal buildings would be required beginning on May 2, 2023, but the date has now been moved back by another two years, to May 7, 2025.

Ticket Fares Rise
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI) said airfares climbed by 42.9 percent due to airlines cutting down on flight schedules and rising fuel costs. The CPI found that prices climbed 8.2 percent over the past 12 months and 0.4 percent in September, with the limited number of seats driving up airfares. The increase in prices and the return of travel demand are helping the carriers gradually return to profitability.

Data showed that prices would remain higher than normal heading into the Thanksgiving and winter holiday travel periods, with Christmas airfares up 55 percent from 2021 and 19 percent higher than 2019.

Delays, Cancellations Impact Spring and Summer Flights
Airlines and airports were dealing with higher gas prices, surging demand and a lack of employees in 2022, all of which led to major delay and cancellation issues during the busiest times of the year, starting with Spring Break. The summer didn’t get much better, as data showed U.S. airlines canceled over 100,000 this year by July 17, with 30,000 of those coming between then and Memorial Day weekend. The issues were so bad that Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian apologized for the summer travel disruptions and promised to work towards returning a sense of normalcy to the flight process.

To prepare for the hectic winter holiday travel season, airlines scaled back flight schedules, increased staffing levels and learned from past mistakes.

Airline Complaints Continue To Soar
New data from the United States government found that air travel service complaints dropped 15.6 percent from August to September, but the overall numbers remained 380 percent above pre-pandemic levels in September 2019. The Department of Transportation received 6,115 complaints about airline service from consumers in September, down 15.6 percent from the 7,243 complaints received in August and up 386.1 percent from the 1,258 complaints received in pre-pandemic September 2019.

Pilot Shortage Causes Flight Service Decline at US Airports
A study from the Regional Airline Association (RAA) found that 76 percent of U.S. airports have been impacted by the pilot shortage, with more than 500 regional aircraft parked and an “associated air service retraction at 324 communities.”

RAA CEO Faye Malarkey Black said, “14 airports have lost all scheduled commercial air service – a number that is still rising.” In total, U.S. domestic air operations declined by 18.4 percent from October 2019 to October 2022.

Hurricanes Wreak Havoc on Travel
Several major airlines serving Florida and the Caribbean were impacted by this year’s hurricane season. Named storms—including Ian, Fiona and Nicole—battered the region and caused delays and cancellations across the industry.

JetBlue Acquires Spirit
JetBlue Airways announced it would purchase Spirit Airlines, a deal announced less than 14 hours after Spirit shareholders rejected a merger deal with Frontier Airlines. JetBlue had been trying to acquire Spirit since April, just six weeks after Spirit announced an agreement in principle to merge with Frontier in what eventually became a five-month battle among the three airlines.

US Government Fights Northeast Alliance
The United States Department of Justice said the partnership between American Airlines and JetBlue Airways would “harm travelers” during the closing arguments of the case against the Northeast Alliance. The Justice Department joined forces with six states and the District of Columbia to claim that the carriers coordinating flights and pooling revenue would be a de facto merger and add nearly $700 million in extra annual costs to travelers.

American lawyer Daniel Wall said the alliance has made the markets served by the carriers “more competitive than they otherwise were.” He also said consumers or the Justice Department could file another lawsuit later if the partnership were proven anti-competitive.

DOT Takes Charge for Family Seating
The Department of Transportation issued a stern warning to airlines in July, encouraging them to stop charging extra fees to travelers with young children so that they sit next to a family member. The agency said it would issue regulation prohibiting carriers from doing so if they didn’t make the changes themselves.

Airlines Worry About 5G
After significant concerns were voiced by airlines and the U.S. government, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Billy Nolen and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) head Alan Davidson met in November to discuss the possible aviation safety concerns regarding the implementation of new 5G C-Band operations.

Carriers Back to Buying Planes
With demand for leisure flights continuing to increase, airplane manufacturers have once again started to secure massive orders. In December, United Airlines announced it placed an order for 100 Boeing 787 airplanes, with the option to purchase 100 more. In July, Delta Air Lines announced a new deal to purchase 100 Boeing 737 MAX 10 airplanes worth about $13.5 billion at list prices, with an option to buy 30 more in the future.

No Boarding Pass Needed?
Over the summer, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) started implementing its Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) in airports all around the country. The new system, which TSA calls a “security game changer,” is already in place in over 100 airports across the nation.

CAT can confirm a passenger’s identity, verify their flight information and check their pre-screening status—all in “near” real-time—simply by scanning their ID. The system is electronically linked to the Secure Flight database, which references passengers’ flight details, ensures they’re ticketed for same-day travel, and pulls up their pre-screening status (e.g., TSA PreCheck) without the need to present a boarding pass.

Australia Brings Back International Flights
The first international visitors in two years arrived in Australia in February when national carrier Qantas Airways landed in Sydney from Los Angeles. The nation had been under a coronavirus-related lockdown since March 2020.

FAA Extends Slot-Use Waiver for Airlines
In March, the FAA extended pandemic relief to allow major airlines to cut international flights without losing their coveted slots, or gates, at the busiest airports. It was the fifth time the agency ruled to help airlines since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Southwest Works to Add Free Wi-Fi
Southwest Airlines began experimenting with free Wi-Fi on select flights during a test run of its service upgrades in May. “This trial will allow customers to stream, browse, and engage on the internet at no cost just like other complimentary services,” Tony Roach, Southwest’s vice president of customer experience and customer relations, wrote in the memo to staff. “Our goal is to evaluate how the new hardware improves performance while delivering a reliable internet experience used by a large volume of customers.”

Airlines Transport Baby Formula During Shortage
During a baby formula shortage that impacted the United States in June, Delta Air Lines used its planes to transport 3.2 million eight-ounce bottles of baby formula from London to the United States. United Airlines also shipped 1.6 million bottles of Nestle and 3.7 million bottles of Kendamil formula to Texas and Virginia to bolster the supply chain.

American Aims To Go Supersonic
American Airlines announced it would purchase up to 20 Overture aircraft from Boom Supersonic, with an option for an additional 40. The planes are expected to carry passengers at twice the speed of today’s fastest commercial aircraft. Under the terms of the agreement, Boom must meet industry-standard operating, performance and safety requirements as well as American’s other customary conditions before delivery.

Delta, Starbucks Team Up
In October, Delta Air Lines announced a new loyalty reward program partnership for SkyMiles and Starbucks Rewards members. U.S. travelers enrolled in both Delta SkyMiles and Starbucks Rewards loyalty programs can link their accounts and earn one mile per $1 spent on eligible purchases at Starbucks.

United Brings Kids’ Meals Back
In November, United Airlines brought back kids’ meals on select flights, and as any parent flying with a small child already knows, a little comfort food can go a long way. To request a kids’ meal, customers can choose the “Children’s Special Meals” option when booking a ticket or add it to an existing reservation via the airline’s mobile app.