The very worst time of the year to fly is right now

For the next two weeks there is one place experienced travellers will be looking to avoid at all costs: their local airport.

The holiday period is now officially in full swing, with most flights filled to capacity and airports full of once-a-year flyers. This is the time when amateurs take to the skies. 

That will include people who think they can take their suitcase with them as hand luggage; people who try to take knives and other sharp objects through security, people who think they can board at their leisure, and folks who think they can behave on a plane the same way that they behave in their backyard.

With airports cutting down on costs, experienced travellers know that this is time of the year when airports turn into circuses.

And even smaller airports like Hobart are expecting to handle over 10,000 passengers a day over the silly season - far more than normal.

The chaos will not be confined to Australia, but right around the world.

Australia got off to a good start over the weekend, however, when dozens of flights in and out of Brisbane Airport were delayed or cancelled after a significant storm lashed the south-east of Queensland causing major impact to the national flight network.

In the US, travel organisation the AAA expects 115.2 million people will take a trip or return home for the holidays during the 10 days between December 23 and New Year’s Day.

That is up just over 2% up on last year.

“Desire to get away is stronger than we have seen in a very long time,” said AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz.

“People are willing to adjust their budgets in other areas of their life, but they want to keep traveling.”

The Thanksgiving Day holiday saw a single-day record of 2.9 million passengers on Sunday, November 26.

Trade group Airlines for America predicts that 39 million people will fly between December 20 and January 2.

It expects the busiest peak days could see over three million air travellers for the first time.

Be prepared for some horror stories.

Image: Anand Balaji, Scop.io  

Why customers should speak up about bad service

Why are Australians so bad at complaining about poor service?

Most Australians are not known for being shy and retiring - but when it comes to speaking their mind about slackness from airlines and five-star hotels they are noticeably reticent.

Sure they might Tweet about their experience later, but the best time to call out under-delivering operators is at the time.

That means calling for the manager when you are in a 30-minute queue to check into the room for which you are paying several hundred dollars a night.

Or asking to see a supervisor when you have waited an hour for your luggage to arrive at the airport conveyor belt.

The public should not harass over-worked staff - but take their complaints to management, who are ultimately responsible.   

The way the travel industry tells it, they are keen to hear about issues that customers suffer "so we can offer a better service".

But are they really? And if customers let them get away with dismal service will it continue?

Luke Martin, head of the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania, tweeted at the weekend about his experience at the ritzy - and expensive - The Star on the Gold Coast, where he encountered a 30-strong queue to check in - at 4pm on a Sunday afternoon.

"Beyond shit" was his succinct analysis.

The general manager, or duty manager, was clearly at fault here. 

Someone should have been going along the line, explaining the reason for the delay and offering drinks vouchers or somesuch to placate the tired travellers not being shown any "hospitality".

Airlines are just as guilty of treating their passengers poorly, despite spending thousands on conducting surveys about "what our passengers want".

The Australian Frequent Flyer website reported this week that Virgin Australia discovered there were fewer seats available on a recent Boeing 737 flight from Cairns to Brisbane than the number of booked passengers.

There were passengers with onward connections that they were unable to find seats for, so they asked for volunteers to catch the next flight - three hours later.

Their offer was laughably bad: 140 Velocity Frequent Flyer points, which are worth between 70 cents and around $3, depending on how they’re spent.

Insulting really. I hope someone spoke up.

Image: Luke Martin, Twitter. 

Hapless airlines cut flights at a time demand is surging

Air fares have gone through the roof as the whole world wants to travel again post Covid lockdowns.

But major airlines have been caught short by the renewed demand - with some still cutting their schedules at a time when more people than ever want to fly.

American carrier Delta is the latest airline to trim its northern summer schedules, citing labour shortages and supply chain issues as the reason for its inability to run full schedules effectively.

To avoid potential disruption (and underline its incompetence) Delta will slash 100 flights a day during the summer, Travel Mole reports.

The cuts will last from July through to August 7.

The cuts will affect flights that Delta serves across the US and Latin America.

Weather, vendor staffing, increased Covid case rates are contributing to higher-than-planned unscheduled absences in some work groups,” Delta said in a statement.

"More than any time in our history, the various factors currently impacting our operation - weather and air traffic control, vendor staffing, increased Covid case rates contributing to higher-than-planned unscheduled absences in some work groups - are resulting in an operation that isn't consistently up to the standards Delta as set for the industry in recent years," Chief Customer Experience Officer Allison Ausband said.

High demand for flights has seen average fare prices surge, but the airlines can't get their acts together.

Other carriers - including JetBlue and Alaska Airlines - have cut schedules to minimise operational issues. Shareholders - and potential customers - should have serious questions.