Kennedy, La Guardia closer to pre-pandemic passenger levels
Passenger levels at Kennedy Airport, above, as well as at La Guardia and Newark Liberty International are nearing pre-pandemic levels, transportation officials said Thursday. Credit: AP/Julia Nikhinson
New York City-area airports handled 12.2 million passengers in July, inching closer to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The announcement of more travelers comes amid a disruptive summer flying season that saw increased rates of cancellations and delays nationwide.
Passengers at the area's airports likely experienced some frustration firsthand.
Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports were ranked in the Top 10 worst places nationwide for departing flight performance during the first half of August, according to Hopper, an online travel booking company.
During the first half of August, 31% of flights were delayed at Liberty while Kennedy reported a 33% flight-delay rate and LaGuardia saw 24% of flights delayed, according to Hopper. Of the three airports, the highest cancellation rate was at LaGuardia, which scrapped 8.2% of flights. Liberty had an 8% cancellation rate, and at Kennedy, it was 3.5%.
Hayley Berg, Hopper’s lead economist, said airports typically experience an 18% delay rate in August but this month has been unusually high.
“That is very anomalous for this time of year but has become the trend for 2022,” Berg said.
She added that it’s important to keep in mind that many of the cancellations were made when airlines trimmed schedules before the summer season and does not mean all those passengers were left stranded at the airport.
But the turmoil hasn’t stopped people from flying.
Air passenger volumes went up 6% in July from the month prior, according to the Port Authority, which operates the region’s main airports.
“I think what we’ve seen, more than anything, is that despite the disruptions, it’s not deterring travelers,” Berg said.
Flight reliability is expected to improve in the fall as demand eases and airlines continue cutting schedules while boosting staff, experts said.
“What we should see, hopefully, is some of the chaos over the summer smoothing down,” said Kathleen Bangs, a former airline pilot and spokesperson for FlightAware, a flight tracking company. Bangs added that airlines cut about 15% of their summer schedules and keep scaling back for the fall.
Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.
'We had absolutely no idea what happened to her' What began as a desperate hunt for Shannan Gilbert in the marshes near Gilgo Beach became, in three astonishing days in December 2010, the unmasking of a possible serial killer. NewsdayTV's Doug Geed has more.
'We had absolutely no idea what happened to her' What began as a desperate hunt for Shannan Gilbert in the marshes near Gilgo Beach became, in three astonishing days in December 2010, the unmasking of a possible serial killer. NewsdayTV's Doug Geed has more.
