Issue Summary

As America’s Independence Day holiday approached, airlines and their customers braced for more operational distress. Simply put, airlines, airports, and air traffic control towers throughout the U.S. are understaffed, owing to tight labor markets and earlier downsizing. The problem, however, goes beyond the U.S., frustrating airlines in many parts of the world as they try to capture a summertime travel surge after two years of extreme demand weakness. Demand is so strong, in fact, that not even sky-high fuel prices are getting in the way of what should be a solidly profitable third quarter for many carriers. The Orlando airport,…