American Airlines is the latest carrier to announce cuts to its schedule — mostly from its Philadelphia hub — even as demand for flights continues to grow.
American, like many other airlines, scaled back earlier in the pandemic and is now struggling to keep their operations running smoothly.
“American has taken steps to size our airline for the resources we have available and to build an additional buffer in the remainder of our summer schedule. Last month, American took proactive steps to add resilience to our schedule by reducing overall September system capacity by approximately 2%,” said a statement from the company. “These adjustments were made in multiple frequency markets – with the goal to move customers to different flights”.
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According to American, it is cutting hundreds of flights to its Philadelphia hub in the coming months — roughly 3% of its schedule there in September, or about 7 flights a day, and 5% of its schedule there in October, or about 13 flights. in day.
The airline said it would contact customers whose flights were affected to make alternative arrangements. Customers who choose not to travel on a new route may be entitled to a refund.
Other airlines making cuts
American is not alone in having to reduce its flights this summer.
In June, United Airlines announced it would cut 12% of its flights to Newark this summer, canceling about 50 departures each day starting July 1.
JetBlue also cut its schedule by about 10% this summer, and Delta undertook a “strategic reduction” in flights, canceling about 100 flights a day from July 1 to August 7.
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American Airlines previously announced that it will end service from its regional partners in four cities (Islip and Ithaca, New York; Toledo, Ohio and Dubuque, Iowa) in September, citing a lack of available pilots.
European airports are also struggling
Travel woes aren’t limited to America’s skies this summer.
Long queues and canceled flights have faced passengers across Europe, and major airports including Heathrow in London and Schiphol in Amsterdam have announced restrictions on passengers departing over the summer. In fact, on Wednesday, Schiphol said it would extend those limits until October.
What are passengers entitled to when their flights change?
Passengers whose flights are canceled are generally entitled to a refund in the US, but policies are less clear when flights are delayed. The Department of Transportation technically requires airlines to compensate passengers who experience a “significant” delay, but has yet to define how long a delay must be to qualify as significant.
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However, the department announced Wednesday that it is seeking input from the public as it works to clarify rules around airline compensation and make it easier for passengers to make claims and get refunds if their trip is interrupted.
