TATL load factors?
 

My wife just took an NW TATL flight AMS to DTW, and said the flight was half empty. Is that typical these days? Is the economic situation having an impact on load factors?

I tell you, neither the economy nor the 50% decline in fuel prices seems to have had an effect on TATL fares... or award fuel surcharges.:rolleyes:

I was on DTW - LHR Thursday and it was more than 1/2 empty Even after everyone shifting, there were still several 4 seat center rows empty on the 330. It was quite comfortable!

Looking at my return tomorrow morning, it looks about 60% full. That's pretty pitiful for a Sunday.

In late September my husband and I did NW TATL MEM-AMS and back, and it was so far from being half empty that you could call it a miserable overcrowded teaming ZOO. If I wasn't gold elite and able to help him skip some of the worse lines, my husband would never cross the pond again. As it is, he was telling people how awful it was. I don't know why DTW-AMS would have more open, empty seats. Maybe your wife just got lucky.

In most years that's not unusual starting around now. That's why $300-500 fare sales also start happening in Oct-Nov.

With schedule reductions & economic problems what will happen this year is anyone's guess. I've already seen several good deals in the MR forum.