AIR SERVICE
The Visit Greater Palm Spring team is thrilled that United Airlines is adding daily seasonal nonstop service from Washington, D.C. after years of effort in pursuing the metro D.C. area. The service begins December 19, 2024 and will continue through April 30, 2025. The new route offers convenient and direct access from the Mid-Atlantic region, with two flights each day: departing from Dulles International Airport (IAD) at 9 a.m. to arrive at PSP at 11:40 am, and departing PSP at 1 p.m. to arrive at IAD at 8:45 p.m.
PSP’s demand into 2024 remains strong: Demand was up 30% comparing year-end April 2024 to year-end April 2019.
According to the PSP enplanement report, load factor in December 2023 was 75%, in January 2024 was 75%, and in February 2024 was 81%. It's projected to be 83% in March 2024 and 79% in April 2024.
PSP’s May to September 2024 seat capacity is projected to be only slightly down by 5% versus the same time frame in 2023. Delta Air Line’s Minneapolis (MSP) service and American’s Airlines Austin (AUS) will resume earlier this year on September 14 and October 7, respectively.
National Summer Trends
Air service continues to increase, with a record broken this year ahead of the Memorial Day weekend for the number of airline travelers screened at U.S. airports. According to TSA, more than 2.9 million were screened nationally on Friday May 24, surpassing a previous record set last year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving,
U.S. airlines expect to carry a record number of passengers this summer. Airlines for America, the industry trade organization for major U.S. airlines, predicts that 271 million travelers will carry 271 million passengers from June 1 to August 31, 2024, which would be a 6.3% increase from 2023.
American Airlines expects to serve some 72 million customers between May 17 and Sept. 3. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian voiced similarly bullish expectations on the company's April earnings call, noting: "We expect a record spring and summer travel season," while the TSA expects to see 3.1 million passengers on its busiest days this summer.
Air traffic controller shortage remains a factor. Despite the recent legislation signed by President Biden and bolstered hiring efforts, the FAA remains short of its target number of air traffic controllers. One helpful change from summer's past: Airlines continue to fly more passengers with fewer — but larger — aircraft. This June, July, and August, carriers will operate about 3% fewer flights than a decade ago (summer of 2013) Cirium data shows, but they'll fly with 29% more seats.
Hopper's 2024 Summer Travel Outlook noted that domestic summer airfare is down about 6% compared to this time last year, making 2024 the first summer season with a price drop since 2020.
Below is the latest data for PSP. Click HERE or the image below to view the multiple-page PDF report.
For more information on Air Service development, click here.
If you have any questions about air service, please contact:
Gary Orfield, Director of Tourism Development
gary@visitgreaterps.com | 760.969.1335
