United said Tuesday that it expects to fly about 53 million people this summer between June and August, 3 million more than the same period last year.
The carrier said it is seeing “double-digit increases in demand” for certain destinations, mostly tied to high-profile events. It cited solar eclipse-related tourism in Spain, Iceland, and Greenland; travel to FIFA World Cup matches in Los Angeles, Toronto, Mexico City, and Guadalajara; and concerts in London and Amsterdam.
The projections suggest that enthusiasm for air travel has not softened despite a significant increase in ticket prices over the past few months. Carriers have upped fares and fees in an attempt to offset rising jet fuel prices.
While the economic impact has been notable in the U.S. – even helping to trigger the collapse of Spirit Airlines – North American carriers are still better positioned than their counterparts in Europe and Asia. Europe is more reliant on oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed by Iran since early March, and many Asian countries lack domestic oil production and refining capabilities.
There were also concerns that the partial shutdown of the federal government could hamper the summer travel season, but that issue was resolved by Congress last month.
United said it expects to serve about 3.9 million passengers over the Memorial Day period, between May 21 and 27. That translates to roughly 575,000 customers per day across around 5,000 daily flights.
