This was the summer of discontent for American air travelers. Come to think of it, so was last summer. Look for the same in the future. American airlines are suffering from success.
Summer is always a huge travel time, as are the holidays.
Those also are periods when bad weather can be expected. The percentage of seats occupied was above 80 percent at most airlines this summer. And bad weather, labor unrest and sheer strain on the whole system led to huge delays. The airlines are the benefactors, and victims, of a 1978 decision to deregulate carriers to let them act like other businesses. In the last five years, delays have gone up 50 percent.