According to a report from air travel analytics firm Cirium, U.S. carriers are planning to fly 4.4% more domestic flights in their summer schedule compared to the same period last year. The report analyzed the flight schedules of the 10 largest airlines in the U.S. and found that these carriers are expected to operate an average of 511,000 domestic flights per week during the peak summer season, up from 490,000 flights in the same period last year. This marks the largest increase in domestic flight capacity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The increased flight capacity is being driven by a growing demand for air travel as more Americans become vaccinated and restrictions on travel are eased. Airlines are responding to the increased demand by adding more flights to popular destinations and increasing their schedules on existing routes. Airlines are also adding more flights to leisure destinations, such as Florida, Hawaii, and the Caribbean, as people look to travel for vacation this summer.