Delta and American Are Cutting Flights to 5 Major Cities, Starting Next Month
The airlines' upcoming schedule changes include one route getting dropped entirely.
Airlines can choose to change their flight schedules for any number of reasons. This year alone, major carriers have contended with extreme weather, staffing concerns, and other logistical problems at busy airports that have impacted their operations. Ultimately, airlines will also have to respond to changes in demand or other issues that could impact ticket sales or their bottom line. And now, both Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have announced they're cutting flights starting next month, affecting five major cities. Read on to see which destinations will see fewer departures.
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American Airlines is scaling back its service to one destination due to a devastating natural disaster.
Maui has long been a popular vacation destination for travelers hoping to experience its rich local culture and stunning natural beauty. But over the past few weeks, the island has suffered one of the worst natural disasters in Hawaii's history as unprecedented wildfires tragically destroyed towns and claimed the lives of at least 115 people, CBS News reports. Authorities are still battling to contain ongoing fires while locals begin a long recovery and rebuilding process.
In response to the tragedy, American is one of several airlines that has decided to wind down some of its flights to Maui over the coming weeks. According to flight data website Cirium, the carrier is cutting 50 flights to Kahului International Airport from Los Angeles International Airport next month, Simple Flying reports. The airline is dropping an additional 31 flights from the route in October while also cutting a flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to the Hawaiian destination.
But even as American temporarily pares back passenger service, it's continuing to provide aid to the island. Besides helping evacuate residents from Maui, the carrier has launched an initiative to provide bonus reward miles to customers who donate to the American Red Cross, according to a press release from the company.
Best Life reached out to American Airlines about the schedule changes, and we will update this article with their response.
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Delta is also dropping an international route.
Another carrier is also retooling its schedule in a major way that will affect travel in the coming months. Delta Air Lines has decided to cut its planned route between Boston Logan International Airport and Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City, initially slated to begin on Dec. 1, Simple Flying reports.
The move comes just months after the airline announced the new service in May, which was to provide daily service. The change removes 60 flights from Delta's schedule in total.
"Given commercial and operational considerations, Delta will pause our planned launch of Boston-Mexico City service this December," the company said in a statement emailed to Best Life. "While we evaluate future plans for this route, we will continue to offer convenient connections from Boston to Mexico City via six Delta hubs. Customers who were booked on the route will be accommodated. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused."
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This isn't the only time recently the two airlines have scaled back their schedules.
The latest changes by the airlines come on the heels of other upcoming schedule alterations. This month, changes announced by Delta in May will see flights reduced from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and Boston's Logan International Airport, Simple Flying reported. New York will see further cuts, with LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy Airport both losing departures, a reduction on routes between Atlanta and Newark and Baltimore, and fewer flights on the route between Baltimore and Detroit.
In a statement previously provided to Best Life, a spokesperson for Delta Air Lines confirmed that changes were planned ahead of the summer travel season.
"These adjustments were made in domestic markets where our customers have plenty of options available so they can be easily re-accommodated," the spokesperson said. "This decision reinforces our unwavering commitment to provide the best possible travel experience for our customers."
American Airlines also recently pared back some of its flights. This week, newly posted schedule data showed departures from the airline's hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Paris, Miami to London, and New York to Rome would be reduced from up to two daily flights to just one beginning next year, The Points Guy reported. The carrier also suspended its route between Dallas/Fort Worth and Santiago, Chile, which had been initially posted on the carrier's schedule for next summer.
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Both airlines are also adding flights to their schedules—including new destinations and routes.
But even as Delta and American cut back their flight schedules in some areas, the two carriers are building them out in others with increased service. This week, Delta announced a new route between Miami and Nassau in the Bahamas beginning on Nov. 5, The Points Guy reports. The carrier also says it will bump up its service to the Bahamian destination from LaGuardia Airport from seasonal to year-round while also increasing flights from John F. Kennedy Airport to Aruba as of Jan. 8.
Meanwhile, American recently announced a significant expansion of its schedule—especially on some major international routes. The carrier will add Nice, France; Naples, Italy; and Copenhagen, Denmark, to its service map with flights from Philadelphia International Airport as of next spring, The Points Guy reported. It's also kicking off service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Barcelona, Spain, next summer.
Besides its new routes, the airline is also extending some of its seasonal services with earlier start dates, including JFK to Athens, Greece; Charlotte to Dublin, Ireland; and relaunching its service from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Venice Marco Polo Airport in Italy. It's also bulking up service to Mexico and the Caribbean, with extra flights from Miami to Barbados, Saint Martin, and the British Virgin Islands, and more departures from Dallas/Fort Worth to Nassau and Cozumel, Mexico over the winter.
