Expect more flights to be cut this fall and winter

It’s not the travel trend any of us want to see, but US airlines are continuing to cut back on fall and winter flights. 

After a year chock-full of flight delays, pilot strikes, and cancellations, airlines are hoping that cutting flights will help alleviate some of the travel frustrations. Airlines like American have already cut 31,000 flights in November alone. Meanwhile, Delta is cutting 4,000 and British Airways is canceling 10,000 flights between October and March. 

Staffing shortages, largely due to low pilot availability and people calling out sick with Covid, have worsened the strain on airlines this year. 

While some sites are estimating that fall flights will be 40% cheaper than the rates seen during peak summer travel, it’s still a good idea to book your holiday trips ahead of time. With fewer flight offerings, flights will likely fill up fast and the increased demand could push airfare even higher than expected.