Brace Yourself for a Summer of Air Travel Hell

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Airlines, aviation officials and the TSA are all telegraphing an alarming message for travelers: Flying is shaping up to be an absolute nightmare this summer. It’s unusual for all these powers that be to hint so loudly that we’re in for a rough few months — and travelers would be wise to heed their warnings.

Tuesday’s Southwest Airlines snafu, where data connection issues briefly halted departures, is a reminder of how quickly a relatively small problem can cause big headaches. The TSA expects a potential record number of travelers to pass through the country’s airports this summer, administrator David Pekoske told Bloomberg in a new interview. “I expect that we’re going to see very, very strong demand all the way through the summertime, and that’s what we’re preparing for,” Pekoske said. “It’ll be a challenge, but we’ve faced this challenge in prior years and we’ve been able to be successful at it”.

Meanwhile, several major airlines are trimming summertime service amid concerns about air traffic control staffing levels. Staffing at a key New York-area control facility, for instance, is at about half of target levels. Nationwide staffing is at about 80%. Because the national airspace system is so interconnected—and because New York is such a busy area—problems there can easily reverberate nationwide.