Airlines Signal Change in Post-Pandemic Travel Patterns

While aviation surged in 2023, air travel is no longer following historical patterns, airline and industry officials say.

Citing work-life changes created by the COVID-19 pandemic, including hybrid and work-from-home practices, U.S. carriers are adjusting methods used to forecast future passenger demand throughout their networks.

“We’re getting better at it, but demand trends are still a little bit different today than they were back in 2019,” American Airlines Chief Financial Officer Devon May told Reuters in July.

Delta Air Lines reported strong demand for international travel, with a longer season for peak travel to Europe, which typically lasts through the summer months. In its latest quarterly earnings report in October, Delta said its transatlantic enplanements are up double digits from a year ago.

“It’s really a reshaping of the demand patterns that we saw last year,” said Delta President Glen Hauenst