A new analysis of the commercial aviation industry in the U.S. reached the unsettling conclusion that airline schedules could continue to be unreliable for the foreseeable future. CBS News, digging into the reasons for repeated problems of flight cancellations and delays over the past couple of years, concluded that “the issues are likely to linger for as much as a decade.”

“The aviation industry is short roughly 32,000 commercial pilots, mechanics and air traffic controllers — and the gap widens every year,” the network said, citing data from the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation and Department of Labor. It also spoke to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose agency is conducting its own review of airline operations. 

This is all part of an ongoing debate in the industry about where the responsibility ultimately lies for these operational difficulties, with the blame variously attributed to a worsening trend of serious storms, to the FAA’s air traffic control network and to the airlines themselves. Buttigieg told CBS: “If you look at the delays, for example, that America experienced through last year in the summer 2022, a lot of that was driven by these companies not having the staff that they needed. This is not something that’s going to be worked out overnight. It took years to get this way.”

CBS said its analysis of data on late flights found that “the number of delays caused by issues within air carriers’ control has jumped from 5.2% in 2018 to 7.6% in 2023, a rise of thousands of delayed flights.”

The CBS report cited one four-day period in late June of this year when 31,850 flights — one-third of all scheduled flights nationwide — were delayed and 6,340 were canceled. “The number of delays during those four days was 25% higher than in the same period last year,” CBS said. “And when compared to the same period in 2019, before the pandemic, the number of cancellations was up 374%.”

The airline industry has admitted that since its ranks were depleted during the pandemic, a shortage of personnel — especially pilots — led to unprecedented operational problems last summer, and since then, airlines have embarked on major recruitment drives to bring on more trained and qualified employees. Some airlines have even opened their own flight training academies for pilots to help fill a need for an estimated 17,000 more cockpit personnel. But given the complexity of the job, that training can take a long time.

In the meantime, airlines have tried to cope with the shortage by reducing the number of flights they operate. In the past five years, CBS found, “airlines have cut a million flights, impacting some of the nation’s busiest routes,” because “airlines don’t have enough staff to keep all those planes in the air.” The Regional Airline Association has reported that since the pandemic hit, 16 smaller airports have lost all commercial airline service and 61 have lost more than half the flights they had previously.

When it comes to a shortage of staffing across the industry, CBS produced a key chart showing how employment has failed to keep pace with the increase in passenger traffic over the past decade. Using FAA and Bureau of Transportation Statistics data, CBS said that while the number of airline passengers increased by 16% from 2013 to 2022, the number of pilots grew by only 11%. During that same period, CBS said, the number of mechanics employed at U.S. airlines declined by 5% — and the number of air traffic controllers shrank by 11%, leaving fewer staffers in the towers to direct an increasing number of flights. “Right now, CBS News analysis shows that there is a shortage of about 3,000 fully-certified air traffic controllers to meet current demand,” the report said.

Delta plans to resume seasonal service from Los Angeles International to Papeete, Tahiti, on Oct. 31, operating three weekly 767-300ER flights. It also plans to increase capacity from LAX to Sydney, boosting its schedule from seven weekly A350-900 flights to 10 effective Oct. 29 and to 14 a week starting Dec. 16. Furthermore, Delta is set to begin new LAX-Auckland service on Oct. 28, with daily A350 flights. 

In other international news, the Paris-based carrier French Bee is set to trim its Paris Orly-San Francisco-Papeete, Tahiti, schedule from three flights a week to two from Nov. 23 through Dec. 14 and from Jan. 22 through Feb. 29, but on Oct. 29, it plans to increase its Paris Orly-Los Angeles schedule to five weekly flights from the current three or four. Korean Air this month boosted its U.S. schedules, increasing San Francisco-Seoul frequencies from seven a week to nine, Chicago-Seoul from five flights a week to seven, and Dallas-Seoul from four a week to five. After a month’s delay, LATAM Airlines Brasil is now due to launch a new route from Los Angeles to Sao Paulo on Aug. 1, operating three weekly flights with a 777-300ER. Alaska Airlines just expanded its code-sharing operation with Qatar Airways, putting its AS code on the latter’s flights beyond its Doha hub to a dozen destinations in Africa and Asia, such as Nairobi, Singapore, Jakarta and Addis Ababa. The low-cost European carrier Norse Atlantic is converting its Boston-London Gatwick route to a summer seasonal operation, with the service now suspended from Oct. 29 through March 30.  

The European Union has created a website to educate the international traveling public about new pre-entry rules visitors will have to meet starting next year that will require filling out online forms and paying a small fee. The European Travel Information and Authorization System, or ETIAS, will affect visitors to 30 EU member nations, even travelers coming from the dozens of countries — like the U.S. — that are exempt from EU visa requirements. 

The English language version of the website says the new system will begin in 2024 but doesn’t list a specific date. To apply, travelers must have a travel document like a passport that will not expire in less than three months and is not older than 10 years. They’ll have to fill out an online application that requires personal data like name, date and place of birth, home address, parents’ first names, email address and phone number. They’ll also have to provide information about their travel document, level of education, occupation and intended travel plans; provide “details about any criminal convictions, any past travels to war or conflict zones”; and state whether they have recently been kicked out of any country. A fee of 7 euros (about $7.76) must accompany each application.

The EU said travelers heading to Europe should apply for their ETIAS authorization before buying tickets and booking hotels. Applications will generally be processed “within minutes,” or at most within 96 hours, but if the applicant is asked to provide more information, approval could take up to 30 days. Applicants will be notified by email once their applications are processed.

Members of Delta’s Sky Club airport lounge program who fly out of the carrier’s busy New York JFK hub should get some relief from the crowding now that Delta has opened a second lounge there. The new Sky Club is at Gate A7 in Delta’s Terminal 4, near its existing Concourse B club. At 14,000 square feet, the new club seats 250 persons and features a covered sky deck. Together, Delta’s two T4 clubs can accommodate more than 800. At the heart of the new club is a 360-degree bar, and the food service will provide New York City specialties from local chefs. The new club has a fireplace lounge and floor-to-ceiling windows with airfield views. 

Also at New York JFK, American Airlines has unveiled plans for a $125 million “commercial redevelopment” of its transatlantic hub in Terminal 8. The terminal also accommodates flights of AA Oneworld partners British Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines and Qantas. American said the terminal will get a new “Great Hall” and the renovation will bring 60 new retail and dining concessions to the facility. “The commercial redevelopment will further enhance the customer experience at the terminal with a complete redesign and expansion of the concessions program, including dining, retail, duty-free shopping, performance space and new digitally enabled experiences for American’s customers,” American said.