American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) is planning to cut 1% of July 2021 operations ahead of the summer schedule peak. The move comes as the airline is struggling to handle summer travel rebound.
“That, combined with the labor shortages some of our vendors are contending with and the incredibly quick ramp up of customer demand, has led us to build in additional resilience and certainty to our operation by adjusting a fraction of our scheduled flying through mid-July. We made targeted changes with the goal of impacting the fewest number of customers by adjusting flights in markets where we have multiple options for re-accommodation,” American Airlines (AAL) spokesperson told AeroTime News on June 21, 2021.
American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) hopes the move would bring additional certainty over its summer schedule, as it currently struggles with labor shortages in certain bases. Additionally, the American air carrier said that a surge of passenger demand came at the time when bad weather caused multiple flight delays, disrupting pilot and cabin crew work.
American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) has seen a quick ramp up in air travel demand as the COVID-19 vaccination rates in the United States and across the globe increased and certain travel restrictions were lifted.
“Throughout the pandemic, our trademark has been to build a schedule based on what customers tell us they want and need,” said Brian Znotins, American’s Vice President of Network Planning in April 2021. “And today, they are telling us they’re eager to get back to travel.”