Qatar unprepared for World Cup air traffic crush, report says
The organizers of the soccer World Cup are planning for the biggest traffic crush in U.S. air travel history, according to a report released on Thursday.
An annual report by the Air Transport Association of America (ATAA), a trade group for the U.S. airline industry, showed that the World Cup soccer tournament would generate an estimated 1.5 billion fliers a year, compared to 1.3 billion for the Super Bowl and 1.2 billion for the Daytona 500 and Daytona 500 in the Daytona Road Tunnel.
The ATAA said airlines had prepared for a traffic crush during the World Cup, with planes carrying up to 32 passengers loaded with people in all but four of the 24 possible World Cup nations, which are: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Germany and Japan.
That’s compared to up to 28 million passengers during the Daytona 500 auto race.
“The World Cup traffic crush scenario, when combined with the large number of domestic flights, will dramatically increase the demand for air seats,” the report said.
The World Cup is the largest single travel event in U.S. history, and has become a showcase for the airline industry, which has been struggling for years because of high fuel prices and the competition from low-cost carriers.
Some of the world’s most popular airlines, including British Airways and Emirates, already are operating World Cup-related routes that have been previously booked out for the race.
But the World Cup traffic crush does not include the possibility of fans traveling to France by land on the same planes carrying the World Cup teams.
In a blog post on the ATAA’s website, the group cautioned that “there’s nothing we can do about ‘the jet lag problem’ — or for that matter, the problem of overbooking” — but urged travelers to be prepared.
“Airlines should remind their passengers to be considerate of other passengers and hold a seat on the flight until everyone is assigned their flights,” the ATAA said.
ATAA President Tom Horton said the group is in constant communication with the World Cup organizers and air service companies about
