The Air Transport Association (ATA) is predicting that 7 per cent fewer U.S. flyers will take to the skies come the traditionally busy summer months. This includes international travel which is expected to fall by 6 per cent to a mere 24 million flyers.

According to a report in USA Today, the double whammy of higher fares and fees early on, coupled with recession and illness scares has hit the airlines hard. In response, airlines have cut flights, reduced their fleet sizes and downgraded aircraft type on some routes to maintain revenues at not-so-scary levels. Despite these changes and the reduced demand, planes will seem as full as ever to and from the United States as there will still be 195 million flyers this summer, according to the report. "The weak economy has forced additional aircraft out of the marketplace, so despite fewer travelers, planes will remain near full," says James May, ATA president.

There is some good news, however. Delays in the U.S. have eased a bit, due in most part to the reduced stress on the air traffic control system. Also, air fares have come down in anticipation of the reduced demand, sometimes lasting longer than the late-winter, early-springtime booking period. But fewer, more crowded planes can only mean one thing. As the seats get sold, the prices go up. With 32 fewer flights this year between across the North Atlantic, it will still seem busy to the average traveler, who will hardly notice that 14 million fewer people will fly in the U.S. this summer. For trans-Atlantic passengers, it seems as though the benefits of "many flights and lower fares" touted by the recent US – EU Open Skies agreement might just have to bear fruit another season.