American Airlines says travelers should prepare for changes to end of year flight schedule

CHARLOTTE — American Airlines is expected to make changes to its end of year flight schedule, and some Charlotte-area residents are worried this could affect their holiday plans.

The airline is set to soon publish its final schedule. Brian Znotins, the vice president of network planning at American Airlines, said travelers should prepare for the possibility of having to adjust their travel itinerary.

“We’re trying to fly as much as our operation can support. We don’t want to overextend ourselves again,” Znotins said.

Znotins explained on American Airline’s podcast “Tell Me Why” that the airline makes what is called a “placeholder schedule” 331 days in advance and then makes changes 100 days out.

“Sometimes we just don’t know which flights we will and we will not operate because we don’t know how many airplanes and pilots and mechanics and ground staff we will have to support the schedule,” he said.

American expects it will operate 7.5% to 9.5% fewer flights by the end of 2022, compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. A spokesperson shared that the daily average number of flights out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport will be less than September, October, and November.

“The differences we’re seeing in the schedules are greater than they ever have been before,” Znotins said.

This news is already worrying those who were hoping to reunite with family around the holidays. Weddington resident Melissa Barto said she is counting down the days until she can reunite with her family in New Jersey.

“We just got back from a family trip and we’re anxious to see them again,” Barto said.

She expects the next time she can see them is December, when millions of other travelers will take to the sky, but the news of flights being reduced could affect her plans.

“It’s a little concerning because I don’t want to lose any options that I have,” Barto said.

But Barto said she won’t let the stress of the holiday affect her excitement to see her family.

Reporter Erika Jackson reached out to a spokesperson for the airline to find out just how many flights will be affected out of Charlotte Douglas in December. He told her they did not have those numbers yet.

Representatives for the airline stressed to Jackson that they’ve always made changes to its placeholder schedule, but the changes to the published schedule may have become more drastic since the start of the pandemic.

The Dallas Business Journal reports that the airline plans to cut 14,000 flights nationwide in December.

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