WASHINGTON, May 18 (UPI) -- U.S. airplanes will seem just as full even though 7 percent fewer passengers will be flying this summer, airline officials say.
That's because airlines will cut the number of flights and routes and will move to smaller planes in response to fewer passengers, the Air Transport Association airline industry trade group told Monday's USA Today.
"The weak economy has forced additional aircraft out of the marketplace, so despite fewer travelers, planes will remain near full," James May, the association's president, told the newspaper.
The group said it estimates that 7 percent fewer passengers -- or 150,000 per day -- will be flying between June 1 and Aug. 31 that during the same periold last year.
And last summer's passenger traffic was down by 3.6 percent from 2007.
The recession, higher fares and fuel surcharges imposed in response to record high fuel prices last summer are being blamed for the fall-off in passenger traffic, the newspaper said.
