If you're going to be traveling out of Missoula for the holidays, you should probably look into booking your flight as soon as possible.

Actually, that's good advice for pretty much any year - the flights get more expensive the longer you wait, and you'll have less options, too. But this year, you've got an added challenge on top of that: a pilot shortage.

Yes, apparently right now a lot of airlines are facing a shortage of pilots, which could impact how often flights are able to make their scheduled routes, which could make holiday travel even more hectic than it already is.

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We've seen a lot of shortages over the past year or so thanks to the pandemic, everything from jet fuel to foam to hay to breast milk, and it's all been impacting different areas of society. Since most industries are currently facing a worker shortage, it makes sense that some of the jobs that need to be filled are pilots.

With the construction of the new terminal at Missoula International Airport, the hope is that will give airlines more options and alleviate some of the effects of the shortage, at least on a local level.

Hopefully, all will go smoothly this season - with a lot of people staying home last year due to COVID, I'm betting this is going to be one of the biggest travel seasons in recent memory. If you are going to travel, remember to try and do so as safely as possible.

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