Airlines around the world are preparing for a super busy summer, with many believing that travel will finally return to pre-pandemic levels. Even so, some airlines will be cutting their flight offerings.
American Airlines announced the cut of nearly 50,000 flights from its summer schedule, with June and July being the most affected months. The reduction represents 5% of its total flights. Several American Airlines hubs in the United States will be impacted, but Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport will suffer the largest cuts.
In an interview with the Dallas Business Journal, the company’s spokesperson Adreas Koos justified the cut, stating it is merely an adjustment by the airline.
“We are now publishing our final schedule approximately 100 days in advance, which aligns with how we adjusted our schedule in 2019 before the pandemic. American takes pride in offering customers the largest fleet in the United States during the summer, with an average of over 5,500 daily departures,” he reiterated.
Passengers of American Airlines whose flights have been altered due to schedule changes will have alternative options to reach their destinations. Customers dissatisfied with the alternatives presented may request a full refund.
Staff Shortages Affect Other Airlines
Flight cuts are becoming normal as airlines worldwide continue to struggle with the effects left by the Covid-19 pandemic. With a return to normal life last year and thousands of eager passengers wanting to travel after a long period at home, the demand for flights skyrocketed, but airlines have been unable to keep up due to staff shortages.
The German airline Lufthansa, for example, announced last week the cut of 30,000 flights from its summer schedule due to a lack of personnel. The company stated that the staff shortage remains a problem and that it would be better to adjust the schedule now than to face a large number of last-minute cancellations.
Expensive Flights
A basic law of capitalist economics: high demand and low flight supply result in expensive airfare.
Experts say that airfare prices this summer will be on average double what they were before the pandemic.
The labor shortage, in particular, is the main culprit for the disruption in the airline sector.
“You get on a plane… you see pilots and flight attendants, but it takes a lot more people to get a plane in the air,” explains Professor Erik Gordon from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. “You need people loading luggage, working at the gates, working in maintenance and scheduling.”
The professor believes that eventually costs will fall, but it is hard to predict when.
In the meantime, the way is to make adjustments to vacation plans: a domestic trip instead of international, road trips, traveling outside of peak season, all should be taken into account.
Source: Simpleflying.com