We’ve been quick to complain when America’s airlines have failed their customers. But that hardly was the case out of Chicago on American Airlines over the Thanksgiving break.
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The massive airline went eight straight days, between Nov. 16 and 24, without a single mainline flight cancellation anywhere in the country. And even though it snowed at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on Sunday, a huge travel day for family returning home or to college, the airline’s Chicago hub operation still ran smoothly with zero flights canceled.
Other airlines also avoided the major meltdowns of the past; Delta’s on-time performance was especially impressive over the weekend.
We dropped off, picked up, and flew ourselves over the holiday period and encountered smooth operations at O’Hare, with very manageable security lines, adequate staffing and efficient operations all around. It was a tribute to airport and airline employees.
Some smart airline observers have wondered if fares were jacked up so high that the typically bulging airplanes were less full than in past years. Costly those fares surely were, especially (and counterintuitively) when bought far in advance. But passengers could at least see that upfront and decide accordingly.
When it came to delivering on promises made, Chicago’s main airport, and America’s dominant airlines, all did remarkably well this year.
Thankfully.
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