American Airlines Announces Additional Schedule Suspensions in Response to Reduced Customer Demand Related to COVID-19
FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL) will make further capacity cuts in April and May to address record low customer demand.
April and May capacity will be reduced
American will suspend 60% of its capacity in April as compared to the same period in 2019 and is planning to suspend up to 80% of its capacity in May compared to the same period in 2019. These changes are due to significantly decreased customer demand and government travel restrictions related to coronavirus (COVID-19). The reduced April schedule will be reflected on aa.com Sunday, March 29, and the reduced May schedule will be loaded Sunday, April 5.
The domestic capacity reductions take into consideration the FAA’s recent decision to grant additional flexibility in slot-use policies at U.S. airports during this unprecedented situation. These waivers will allow the airline to better align capacity with demand in light of adjustments to the flight schedule.
The most significant change is the reduction in service to Hawaii in April. In response to the new 14-day quarantine order for travelers flying to Hawaii, American has suspended operations into Kona (KOA), Lihue (LIH) and Maui (OGG). The airline will continue to operate one daily flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL).
Travel waivers
American is also continuing to take care of customers by providing additional flexibility in purchasing future travel by extending its offer to waive change fees for customers who purchase tickets through April 15. The offer is available for any of American’s published nonrefundable fares. Additional details can be found on aa.com/travelalerts.