TSA Checkpoint (National)

TSA checkpoint traffic is up this week on average, averaging 756k passengers vs last week’s 727k passengers. While this is a record high, it is still only one-third of what passenger traffic was last year. Sunday broke 900,000 travelers in a single day, but there have been no other times (since the start of the pandemic) that 900k has been broken since Labor Day weekend.

FAA Traffic (ATL Airport)

With another month comes another sharp increase in air traffic through Hartsfield-Jackson Intl. The month of August saw an average daily increase of 20%, or 260 more planes per day. This puts airline traffic through Atlanta in the month of August at 59% of what it was last year.

Delta Airlines

Delta stock is up 4.7% over last week. Delta announced last week that all furloughs will be delayed until at least Nov. 1st as they continue to work towards a payroll agreement with the government and the airline unions. 

In the news

Delta’s CEO Says Airline Will Delay Furloughs This Month

Andrea V. Watson

ATLANTA, GA — Delta said Thursday that the airline will avoid furloughs for many employees and pilot furloughs until at least Nov. 1. Delta CEO Ed Bastian shared the news in a memo to employees, reported WXIA.

“Fortunately, thanks to the hard work, shared sacrifices and innovative thinking of our people, Delta will avoid involuntary furloughs for our flight attendants and ground-based frontline employees in the U.S.,” the CEO wrote.

Delta addressing its aging plane problem due to the pandemic

Thomas Pallini

Delta Air Lines has retired or announced the retirement of six aircraft types since March in a sweeping fleet overhaul that’s long overdue. A key criticism of the airline in recent years has been the age of its fleet of over 800 aircraft. 

Out of the big four US airlines including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines, Delta now has the second oldest fleet with an average age of 14.6 years, according to Planespotters.net. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, by comparison, have fleets with an average age of 11.1 years and 12.5 years, respectively, while United’s is 16 years.

Coronavirus pandemic tests Southwest Airlines’ record of no furloughs

Leslie Josephs

The coronavirus pandemic’s toll on air travel demand is testing a point of pride at Southwest Airlines: It has never furloughed or cut worker pay in its nearly 50 years of flying.

The Dallas-based airline late Monday announced it’s asking labor unions that represent some 80% of its workers to accept pay cuts to avoid involuntary furloughs through the end of 2021. Southwest will reduce nonunion workers’ pay by 10%.