Yesterday, American Airlines announced additional schedule changes; in response to the huge decline in customer demand related to COVID-19. The company plans to cut their international flights for the summer peak by 10%, including a 55% reduction in trans-Pacific capacity, and reduce domestic capacity in April by 7.5%.
At the time of writing, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States already exceeds 1,000. Many states have declared an emergency.
Asia
- Service to mainland China and Hong Kong (HKG) from Los Angeles (LAX) suspended through the summer.
- Service to mainland China from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) suspended through the summer.
- Service from DFW to HKG suspended through June. DFW-HKG will resume with a reduced schedule in July.
- Extending the suspension of service from DFW to Seoul, South Korea (ICN) into early May.
- Flights from LAX and DFW to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT) and Haneda International Airport (HND) will be operated with a smaller widebody aircraft, beginning in May.
| Origin | Destination | Schedule change | Resumption of service |
| DFW | Beijing (PEK) | Suspended through 23rd October | 24th October |
| DFW | Shanghai (PVG) | Suspended through 23rd October | 24th October |
| DFW | Hong Kong (HKG) | Suspended through 1st July | 2nd July, flights resume 3 weekly through 23rd October |
| DFW | Tokyo-Narita (NRT) | Downgrade from a Boeing 777-200 and 789 mix to a 788 beginning 7th May | |
| DFW | Tokyo-Haneda (HND) | Downgrade from a Boeing 777 to a 788 beginning 7th May | |
| DFW | Seoul, South Korea (ICN) | Suspended through 1st May; Downgrade from a Boeing 789 to a 788 beginning 7th May | 2nd May |
| LAX | Beijing (PEK) | Suspended through 23rd October | 24th October |
| LAX | Shanghai (PVG) | Suspended through 23rd October | 24th October |
| LAX | Hong Kong (HKG) | Suspended through 23rd October | 24th October |
| LAX | Tokyo-Haneda (HND) | Downgrade from a Boeing 789 to a 788 beginning 7th May | |
| LAX | Sydney (SYD) | Reduce from daily flights to 6 weekly in May and June | Daily service resumes 19th June |
Europe
- Service from Philadelphia (PHL) to Rome (FCO) suspended immediately through the end of April.
- Extending the suspension of service to Milan (MXP) and suspending flights from Chicago (ORD) and Charlotte (CLT) to FCO through early summer.
- Delaying the seasonal resumption of flights from CLT to Barcelona (BCN) and from ORD to Venice (VCE) to early June. Also delaying the seasonal resumption of flights from New York (JFK) and DFW to FCO, through the end of April and suspending operations of a second daily flight from DFW to FCO for the summer.
- Reducing service to Paris (CDG) and Madrid (MAD) for parts of May and June.
| Origin | Destination | Schedule change | Resumption of service |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLT | Barcelona, Spain (BCN) | Suspended 7th May through 3rd June | 4th June |
| CLT | Rome, Italy (FCO) | Suspended 28th March through 3rd June | 4th June |
| DFW | Rome, Italy (FCO) | Suspended 29th March through 23rd April | 24th April |
| DFW | Rome, Italy (FCO) – additional summer frequency | Suspended 2nd July through 17th August | Flights will not operate |
| JFK | Rome, Italy (FCO) | Suspended 29th March through 23rd April | 24th April |
| JFK | Madrid, Spain (MAD) | Suspended 7th May through 3rd June | 4th June |
| JFK | Milan (MXP) | Suspended through 1st May | 2nd May |
| MIA | Paris (CDG) | Suspended 7th May through 3rd June | 4th June |
| MIA | Milan (MXP) | Suspended through 1st May | 2nd May |
| ORD | Venice, Italy (VCE) | Suspended through 3rd June | 4th June |
| ORD | Rome, Italy (FCO) | Suspended 28th March through 3rd June | 4th June |
| PHL | Rome, Italy (FCO) | Suspended 10th March through 23rd April | 24th April |
South America
- Flights from Miami (MIA) to Montevideo, Uruguay (MVD) will become seasonal, with service ending in May and resuming in December.
- Flights from DFW to Santiago, Chile (SCL) will be suspended through April.
| Origin | Destination | Schedule change | Resumption of service |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW | Santiago, Chile (SCL) | Suspended 14th April through 6th May | 7th May |
| JFK | Sao Paulo (GRU) | Suspend Tuesday and Wednesday service from 14th April through 6th May | Daily service returns 7th May |
| MIA | Montevideo, Uruguay (MVD) | Seasonal market exit from 7th May through 17th December | 18th December |
These capacity reductions assume no slot waivers are in place. Given the drop-off in demand related to COVID-19, American has requested temporary relief from this usage requirement – otherwise known as requesting a slot waiver – to better align capacity with demand without the risk of losing valuable takeoff and landing slots for the future. We can expect that American will make further cancellations if such waivers are granted.
Widebody aircraft from these routes will be redeployed on key domestic routes. American will also introduce a new seasonal service between ORD and Honolulu (HNL) this summer on Boeing 787-9.
If Your Flight is Cancelled
At the point of writing, American Airlines or your travel agency should have already reached out to you to provide alternative arrangements.
If you think that the new arrangement is not suitable for you, first go online to search for some flight alternatives. Then you may contact the airline company or travel agency to let them make the new arrangements for you.
If you do not want to travel anymore, American Airlines will allow you to get a full refund for the affected tickets.