Posted on: Friday, February 22, 2002
Decline in air travelers easing
Advertiser News Services
The fallout from Sept. 11 continued to rain on the aviation industry last month, with major airlines carrying 6 million fewer passengers than they did during the same period a year ago.
The 14.2 percent drop in passengers equaled the percentage loss in December over the same month a year earlier. But it was less than the decline in October and November.
"Thanks largely to continued fare sales and restored passenger confidence in air travel, we see a steady upward movement in passenger traffic," said David Swierenga, chief economist for the Air Transport Association, the trade group for the major airlines.
The major airlines carried 37.4 million passengers in January 2001, compared with 43.6 million a year earlier.
Airplanes flew fuller last month than they did in January 2000, with 63.2 percent of their seats filled, compared with 62.6 percent. Hundreds of flights were eliminated as airlines cut service after Sept. 11.
Amid signs of slowly increasing demand, UAL Corp.'s United Airlines said yesterday that it will rehire 1,200 flight attendants laid off after the attacks.
The action, effective April 1, brings to 2,000 the number of attendants rehired since Jan. 31, the company said. About 2,700 flight attendants were laid off when Chicago-based United eliminated 20,000 jobs after the attacks worsened an existing slump in travel during the recession.
"Slowly people are returning to air travel," said Larry De Shon, a United senior vice president. The airline said earlier this month that it would restore 127 flights in April. United now has about 1,700 flights a day.
Several rivals also have been rehiring workers laid off when airlines cut capacity and more than 90,000 jobs. American, Continental and Delta canceled plans to lay off more pilots as travel has increased. America West Airlines rehired 75 pilots.
American, Northwest Airlines Corp. and America West have rehired flight attendants, reservations agents and other workers.
Hawaiian and Aloha airlines also have rehired some furloughed workers.
