US prepares for Sept 11 slowdown
US businesses are set to cutback on air travel on September 11, the anniversary of the terror attack on the Twin Towers in New York.
Many New York businesses are reporting their employees have put off any travel plans for that day.
“Some personnel do not want to fly. It is not out of fear, but out of respect,” said one east coast manager.
Carlson Wagonlit Travel asked its member agencies in July if they had any bookings for air travel on September 11.
Nearly half, 47%, said they had no bookings, 22% said customers were booking as normal, 15% said bookings were down and 16% said they weren’t sure.
American Airlines and United Airlines have both cut back their schedules for the day and Delta said it would cancel any flights where it sees weak demand between September 9 and 13. British Airways has cancelled 26 flights for September 11 plus one flight on September 10 and one on September 12.
Hotel industry observers said business was down for September 11, but added the early Jewish holy days were also a factor, as was the shaky US economy.
Hyatt Hotels vice-president of sales operations Fred Shea said: “People are very hesitant to travel because of the economy, so we think any downturn during the week of September 8 will likely be more economy than fear-related.”
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Marginal increase for New York City tourism in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments