STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
If you are traveling this week, you're not alone. Forecasters are predicting a record number of Americans will be on the move during this end-of-year holiday season. NPR transportation correspondent Joel Rose, who's just back from a trip himself, is here to give us the numbers. Hi there, Joel.
JOEL ROSE, BYLINE: Hi, Steve.
INSKEEP: When we say record number of Americans traveling, how many is that?
ROSE: Forecasters are predicting a big finish to what has already been a record-setting year for domestic travel. AAA projects that more than 122 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles from home...
INSKEEP: Wow.
ROSE: ...Yeah - during the peak end-of-year travel period that started over this past weekend. That's a slight increase over last year's record total. Most of those people will drive in cars - more than 109 million people, according to AAA. That's also up slightly from last year's total, which was a record. Air travel may set some records as well. The TSA - the Transportation Security Administration - says it is preparing to screen more than 44 million passengers during this holiday season. The busiest single day for air travel is expected to be this coming Sunday, December 28. TSA is bracing for more than 2.8 million travelers on that day alone. In fact, 8 of the 10 busiest days in the history of the TSA have happened since the spring of this year. So we could be looking at a record for passenger volume for the year.
INSKEEP: Is the air traffic control system more ready for that volume than it has been at some earlier times this year?
ROSE: Yeah. Air traffic control is back to what we would consider normal staffing levels after the government shutdown earlier this year. Controllers, of course, were required to work without pay during the shutdown. Many took on second jobs or called out sick, leading to big staffing shortages at a lot of facilities. But there has been an overall shortage of air traffic controllers in this country since long before the shutdown. This system is roughly 3,000 controllers short of where it should be, according to the controllers' union and the Federal Aviation Administration. The Trump administration has been trying to, quote, "supercharge" the hiring of more controllers, and we got an update on that effort last week from Bryan Bedford. He is the head of the FAA. Bedford told a Senate committee that the number of trainees in the pipeline has grown, but he also said the government shutdown was not helpful.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BRYAN BEDFORD: The trainees have a high failure rate, or high washout rate. And in fact, during the shutdown, we lost - I don't know - four or 500 of our trainees that just sort of gave up during the lapse, even though we kept the school open. I think the thought of not being paid was enough to frighten them away.
ROSE: Bedford said that the number of certified controllers in this country is up slightly to 10,700, but that's an increase of only about a hundred since last year. So it is barely keeping pace with retirements and attrition. The reality is that it takes years to train and certify these controllers even after they graduate from the FAA's academy in Oklahoma City. So there's just no quick fix here.
INSKEEP: So we've talked about driving. We've talked about flights. I just want to note, I live in the East Coast, so I take trains sometimes, and I noticed that it's been sometimes challenging to get a seat.
ROSE: Yeah. It's been a record-setting year for Amtrak, too. The company reported more than 34 million passenger trips in the last fiscal year that just ended. That's a 5% increase. And it's actually the second year in a row that Amtrak has set a new record for ridership. The company also reported record ticket revenues up about 10% this year. You know, and I should note, Amtrak is reporting these numbers even at a time when gas prices are relatively low, averaging around $2.85 a gallon across the country. That's the first time they've dropped below $3 in about four years, according to AAA.
INSKEEP: I did notice that when I was filling up the other day. Joel, thanks so much.
ROSE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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