American Airlines to cut 1pc of July flights to tackle travel rebound

American Airlines on Sunday said it would cancel around 1 per cent of its flights in July to serve a surprise uptick in travel demand at a time when the airline struggles with unprecedented weather and a labour shortage at some of its hubs.

American Airlines said the move would bring additional resilience and certainty to its summer operations.

"(We) feel these schedule adjustments will help ensure we can take good care of our customers and team members and minimise surprises at the airport," the company said in a statement.

The airline said its cancellations were targeted at impacting the smallest number of customers "by adjusting flights in markets where we have multiple options for re-accommodation."

The announcement was first reported by the WSJ.

Airlines and other transportation operators have seen a quick ramp-up in demand as US Covid-19 vaccination rates increased and travel restrictions lifted in recent weeks.

According to data from the US Transportation Security Administration, nearly 50 million airport passengers were registered in May, up 19 per cent from April. So far in June, the TSA has registered nearly 35 million air passengers.

American Airlines said the incredibly quick ramp-up of customer demand also came at a time when bad weather caused multi-hour delays over the last few weeks, disrupting flight and crew work hours. The company said some of its vendors were also struggling with labour shortages, impacting the airline's operations.