If you're expecting smooth travels this summer, you're in for a rude awakening. While many people are jaunting off on their 2022 summer vacations, airlines are struggling with the heightened demand and ongoing staffing shortages. As a result, travelers have been experiencing chaos at airports across the country. In just the last day alone, more than 2,000 flights were canceled and experts expect things to get worse as the July Fourth weekend draws nearer, according to NBC News. The situation is so dire that some carriers are already canceling flights for later in the year to try to gain some control over the situation. In fact, American Airlines just revealed its cutting ties with one city altogether this fall. Read on to find out where the carrier is dropping its service in September.
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American Airlines has already made flight cuts and cancellations in 2022.
goffkein.pro / ShutterstockAmerican Airlines is no stranger to shuffling around its schedule—especially this year. In May, the carrier started paring down the number of flights it made from four major U.S. cities: Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Raleigh. Then in June, American announced that it would also be dropping several international routes from its schedule in November, as a result of "reduced demand." This includes one route from Dallas, Texas, to Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima, Peru; and two Colombian routes from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City: Medellin and Cali.
But the airline is now ending flights completely in another city.
ShutterstockAmerican Airlines is gearing up to get rid of its service in another U.S. city altogether this fall. This carrier will stop flying to and from Dubuque, Iowa, on Sept. 7, The Telegraph Herald recently reported. A spokesperson for American told the newspaper that it was a "difficult decision to end service" at the Dubuque Regional Airport.
"We’ll proactively reach out to customers scheduled to travel after this date to offer alternate arrangements," the carrier said in an emailed statement.
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City officials say they're trying to work with American Airlines.
GagliardiPhotography / ShutterstockThis is not the first time American has altered its service in Dubuque. In early 2020, the carrier suspended flights to the city because of the COVID pandemic, according to The Telegraph Herald. But Airport Director Todd Dalsing told the newspaper that American's announcement is different this time around.
"They specifically then said it was a suspension and that it would come back," he said. "Now, even with the high cost of the fuel, they say it is not a revenue issue, that it is completely a pilot shortage issue. This is affecting all carriers nationwide. This will not be a quick fix. Some [experts] are forecasting that the pilot shortage could last for years or more."
American is also Dubuque Regional Airport's only commercial carrier, so it's certain to cause issues. But Dalsing said the airport will continue to try to work with the carrier. "We have been partners for a long time. We’ll look into any alternative solutions we can come up with," he told The Telegraph Herald. "But as of right now, they’re saying it’s not a suspension."
American Airlines recently announced the end of its service in three other cities.
iStockThe Dubuque cut is in addition to three other cities losing service from American Airlines later this fall as a response to a lack of pilots. The carrier confirmed to The Points Guy last week that it was dropping three U.S. cities from its route in the month of September: Islip, New York; Ithaca, New York; and Toldeo, Ohio.
"In response to the regional pilot shortage affecting the airline industry, American Airlines has made the difficult decision to end service in Islip and Ithaca, New York, and Toledo, Ohio, effective Sept. 7," a spokesperson for American Airlines told the news outlet. "We’re extremely grateful for the care and service our team members provided to our customers in Islip, Ithaca and Toledo, and are working closely with them during this time. We’ll proactively reach out to customers scheduled to travel after this date to offer alternate arrangements."
During a May presentation to the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors, Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Molly Grover spoke about the problems American Airlines and others are facing with staffing shortages. "Since the pandemic started, over 50,000 airline employees—many of those pilots—are no longer with the airlines as they were pre-COVID," Grover said at the time, per The Telegraph Herald. "You can do a lot of things in the airline industry to adapt. But the one thing you can’t do when you have pilot shortages is fly planes."
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