READ THIS NEXT: Delta Won’t Let You Do This on Flights, Effective Immediately.
After two years of struggling to fill flights thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, major airlines are now facing a new problem of meeting the surging demand for travel. But logistical headaches and an industry-wide pilot shortage have made it difficult for the carriers to rebound along with the wave of returning passengers, forcing many to tailor their schedules to avoid strings of delays or cancelations.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb
On July 5, United Airlines confirmed that it would soon no longer be flying to Flagstaff, Arizona (FLG) and Texarkana, Arkansas (TXK), saying it would end service from Houston, Texas (IAH) to Texarkana on Sept. 6 and from Denver, Colorado (DEN) to Flagstaff on Oct. 30, The Points Guy reported. The airline also confirmed that it would be ending its connecting service between San Diego (SAN) and Los Angeles (LAX) after running the feeder route for over 40 years, as of Oct. 30.
And in late June, American Airlines announced that it would stop flying to Islip, New York (ISP); Ithaca, New York (ITH); and Toledo, Ohio (TOL) as of Sept. 7. In a statement, the carrier said the decision was “in response to the regional pilot shortage affecting the airline industry.” But now, the major carrier says it will cut departures from nearly half a dozen other cities.
On July 10, American Airlines confirmed that it was cutting flights from eight cities it had added to its schedule, The Points Guy reports. The carrier will be dropping planned flights from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL) to Vail/Eagle, Colorado (EGE); New York (JFK) to Jackson Hole, Wyoming (JAC); Chicago (ORD) to Montrose, Colorado (MTJ); and Los Angeles (LAX) to Montrose.
And besides changes to popular winter destinations, the airline also confirmed it would be changing up its international routes as well. Starting Nov. 3, American will no longer fly from New York (JFK) to Bogota, Colombia (BOG), citing “reduced demand” from passengers, The Points Guy reported. However, the carrier will still serve the South American city with flights from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Miami (MIA).
RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.
But while some destinations saw their flight options pared back, the airline did add service to new cities. American will be kicking off new routes between Austin, Texas (AUS) and Vail/Eagle and between Miami and Jackson Hole, with daily flights beginning on Dec. 15, The Points Guy reports. The airline has also extended its daily service between Los Angeles (LAX) and Bozeman, Montana (BZN), offering flights from Dec. 15 through Jan. 2 and from Feb. 16 through April 3.
And it’s not just domestic departures that will see schedule changes in the coming months. While JFK may be losing a flight to Bogota, American is debuting service from New York to Mexico City (MEX) with daily flights starting on Nov. 3. And on Oct. 29, the carrier will be bulking up departures from Miami to Tel Aviv, Israel (TLV), from three times weekly to daily service, according to The Points Guy.
But it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the airline lately. News of the schedule changes comes days after a software glitch allowed pilots to drop thousands of flights the carrier scheduled them to operate, The Wall Street Journal reports. The pilots will now earn triple their standard pay to cover the scheduled departures, which ultimately would’ve affected more than 12,075 flights. However, despite the costly error, travel is not expected to be impacted in the coming weeks.
“We’re pleased to have reached an agreement with the APA and appreciate their partnership in coming to a resolution quickly to take care of our pilots, our team, and our customers,” a spokesman for American told The Wall Street Journal.
