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American Airlines makes good on threat to ax cities, cuts 15 in 'first step'

Edward RussellContributor
Edward Russell is a contributor for TPG. An AvGeek at heart, he covered the airline business at FlightGlobal for eight years and previously covered finance in New York and Hong Kong.

August 20, 2020 • 3 min read

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American Airlines has added 15 U.S. cities to the list of things it plans to cut this fall in an effort to right-size the airline amid a historic drop in air travel because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based Oneworld alliance carrier called the cuts -- initially from just Oct. 7 to Nov. 3 -- the "first step" in a broad re-evaluation of its route map. Additional schedule changes are expected in the "coming weeks," American said in a statement on Thursday

The reductions come a week after the flight schedule requirements in the federal coronavirus aid package, or CARES Act, expire on Sept. 30. American has also warned around 26,000 staff members of possible furloughs beginning in October.

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American is suspending service to the following cities in October:

Del Rio, Texas (DRT) - served from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
Dubuque, Iowa (DBQ) - served from Chicago O'Hare (ORD)
Florence, South Carolina (FLO) - served from Charlotte (CLT)
Greenville, North Carolina (PGV) - served from Charlotte
Huntington, West Virginia (HTS) - served from Charlotte
Joplin, Missouri (JLN) - served from Dallas/Fort Worth
Kalamazoo, Michigan (AZO) - served from Chicago O'Hare
Lake Charles, Louisiana (LCH) - served from Dallas/Fort Worth
New Haven, Connecticut (HVN) - served from Philadelphia (PHL)
Newburgh, New York (SWF) - served from Philadelphia
Roswell, New Mexico (ROW) - served from Dallas/Fort Worth
Sioux City, Iowa (SUX) - served from Chicago O'Hare
Springfield, Illinois (SPI) - served from Dallas/Fort Worth
Stillwater, Oklahoma (SWO) - served from Dallas/Fort Worth
Williamsport, Pennsylvania (IPT) - served from Charlotte and Philadelphia

American indicates that it could "re-assess [its] plans" if the CARES Act's payroll support program for airline staff is extended. Labor unions are leading the push for an additional six months of employment protections though every major carrier supports the effort.

The prospects for an extension of the payroll support program are uncertain, at best. Congress is not scheduled to reconvene to discuss a new CARES Act until after Labor Day in September.

American's departure will leave nine of the cities entirely without commercial air service. Del Rio, Dubuque, Florence, Greenville, Joplin, New Haven, Roswell, Stillwater and Williamsport, according to Cirium schedules.

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Sign up for the free daily TPG newsletter for more airline news!

American is suspending service to the following cities in October:

Del Rio, Texas (DRT) - served from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
Dubuque, Iowa (DBQ) - served from Chicago O'Hare (ORD)
Florence, South Carolina (FLO) - served from Charlotte (CLT)
Greenville, North Carolina (PGV) - served from Charlotte
Huntington, West Virginia (HTS) - served from Charlotte
Joplin, Missouri (JLN) - served from Dallas/Fort Worth
Kalamazoo, Michigan (AZO) - served from Chicago O'Hare
Lake Charles, Louisiana (LCH) - served from Dallas/Fort Worth
New Haven, Connecticut (HVN) - served from Philadelphia (PHL)
Newburgh, New York (SWF) - served from Philadelphia
Roswell, New Mexico (ROW) - served from Dallas/Fort Worth
Sioux City, Iowa (SUX) - served from Chicago O'Hare
Springfield, Illinois (SPI) - served from Dallas/Fort Worth
Stillwater, Oklahoma (SWO) - served from Dallas/Fort Worth
Williamsport, Pennsylvania (IPT) - served from Charlotte and Philadelphia

The prospects for an extension of the payroll support program are uncertain, at best. Congress is not scheduled to reconvene to discuss a new CARES Act until after Labor Day in September.

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4X	Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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