Is air travel really getting worse? Experts weigh in on struggles in the skies

NEW YORK — Air travel this Thanksgiving is expected to reach a record high this year, but between the security lines at the airport and the seating on planes, it’s hard to find someone who loves taking a flight.

“Air travel used to be nice. No longer. Now it’s like the subway at rush hour. It’s kind of dehumanizing,” Huntington resident Kevin Rockitter said.

“It’s very frustrating. I travel with kids … It’s a lot,” traveler Marchare Canada said.

“It’s just overwhelming, is a word that encompasses it all,” Upper East Side resident Ella Ingold said.

CBS News New York’s Dick Brennan went to John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport to find out, is air travel really getting worse?

Have things gotten that bad?

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says through August, there have been 1.4 million more travelers coming through the region’s three airports compared to 2023, a record pace. It’s actually 3 million more over the same time in 2019.

You would think more people means more flights available, but that’s not the case. So far this year, there are about 27,000 fewer flights because the airlines have been able to cram an average of six more passengers onto each plane.

“The airlines look at passengers as self-loading human cargo, lets be honest,” CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg said.

Greenberg says don’t try to stretch in coach.

“So we’re all in the back of the plane. We’re all scrunched in more. There’s less leg room, right? … And the FAA has done nothing about this except allow the airlines to add even more seats and reduce the space,” he said.

There’s also the issue of checked bags not arriving at their destinations.

“So my philosophy about airline baggage is simple. There are only two kinds of airline bags:  carry-on and lost. Get with the program,” Greenberg said.

By the numbers, however, it’s actually not all bad. Cancellation rates are actually down this year, and some travelers enjoy new tech, like airline apps, but we’re a long way from the days of elbow room and catered in-flight meals.

How did we get here?

Professor Ganesh Sitaramen, author of “Why Flying Is Miserable And How To Fix It,” says things changed drastically when the United States deregulated airlines back in 1978, and it’s time to reverse that.

“What that means is having some amount of regulated rates to prevent price gouging and to prevent declines in the amount of quality,” he said.

Sitaramen has advice for anyone who has a miserable flight experience:  reach out to your elected official.

“Call up your congressman … That’s the way we’re going to make change, is by people in government actually doing something about it,” he said.

How can you keep flying and keep your sanity?  

In the meantime, Katy Nastro from Going.com has a few airline hacks.

“Try to prioritize morning flights and nonstop flights when you can. Morning flights have a 25 percentage point higher on-time arrival rate versus an afternoon or an evening flight,” she said.

If you’re planning a trip abroad, Nastro suggests booking around holidays when most people are heading home.

“Thanksgiving is actually one of the sneakiest best times out of the entire year to fly internationally … You’re getting most bang for your buck in terms of pricing, but also you’re getting less crowds,” she said.

For extra security with checked bags, try throwing in a GPS tracker, like an Apple AirTag.

“That’s not going to get your bag to you any faster, but it does give you that little bit of insurance and that can just give you a little bit of peace of mind,” Nastro said.

Finally, Greenberg suggests lowering your expectations.

“So if you’re looking from an experiential point of view, when people ask me if I had a nice flight, you know what I say to them? Two words:  we landed. It was a great flight,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation recently announced passengers will be entitled to automatic refunds for canceled or significantly changed flights.

Dick Brennan

Dick Brennan joined CBS News New York in 2012 as an anchor and reporter.