Corpus Christi International Airport is gearing up for the busiest year in the airport’s history. About 80% of fights are already booked for June.
Corpus Christie, Texas. After Memorial Day, airlines over the weekend are watching how many people choose to fly.
Airports then use this information to predict how busy air travel will become in the coming months. Some airports plan to see pre-pandemic passenger numbers.
With an increase in the number of residents traveling by air, the need to cope with a shortage of pilots to accommodate more flights is becoming more of an issue.
Corpus Christi International Airport is gearing up for the busiest year in the airport’s history. About 80% of fights are already booked for June.
“We’re going to see probably about 3,600 people a day in and out of the terminal,” said Kevin Smith, director of aviation for the CCIA. “And that, I mean, compared to the first day I entered the terminal, we saw 50 people a day. So it’s really exciting.”
Smith said he saw a trend of residents fleeing.
“We believe we will be about 2% higher than we were this time, pre-COVID, for example, in 2018,” Smith said.
Watching pre-COVID activity mean increased foot traffic for travelers both in and out of the coastal meander.
“It’s very important that rates go up if you’re trying to book June flights right now and you’re going to have a really hard time finding the right flights,” Smith said.
As passengers start booking flights, Smith said it’s important to plan ahead to get the best airfare.
“Also, they will be very expensive, July bookings sell out very quickly too, we feel that June, July and August will probably be the three busiest months in a row we have ever seen at this airport,” said Smith.
With busy months ahead, there is an even greater need for pilots to prepare for more flights. Which, however, like everything else, was in short supply.
American Airlines considers the following statement regarding the shortage of pilots.
We are actively making adjustments to our schedule to mitigate any future travel disruptions related to short-term problems with pilot staff in our regional…
