Capacity cuts – American axes some Texas flights

In these days of $120 per barrel petroleum, if an airline route doesn’t perform properly, or if the airplane that plies that route is too fuel inefficient, the run is a candidate for capacity cuts. And so it is that the nation’s largest carrier — American Airlines — is axing a number of flights to and from Texas, its home turf.

The Dallas Morning News reports that in addition to eliminating thrice-daily Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Oakland (OAK) service on September 3, American is also axing a trio of flights from Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS). Gone will be nonstops to Orange County, California (SNA), Raleigh/Durham (RDU), and Seattle/Tacoma (SEA). Also out the window will be nonstop service from Los Angeles International (LAX) to San Antonio (SAT), and from LAX to Fort Lauderdale (FLL).

What that means is that there will be no nonstop service between the world’s third-busiest airport, DFW, and Oakland. Best bet for Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex flyers will be to take a one-stop flight on discount airline Southwest out of Dallas Love Field (DAL). As for Austin, once American pulls the plug on nonstops to Orange County, Raleigh/Durham and Seattle/Tacoma none of those cities will have nonstop service to the Texas capital. Southwest will continue to offer one-stop service to SEA, SNA and RDU from AUS.

On the Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale run, the closest you’ll come to no-change-of-plane service is a three-stop on Southwest. Los Angeles–San Antonio fares far better. Both United Express and Southwest ply the route nonstop.

American’s strategy here seems to be to cut fuel costs while encouraging flyers to use its nearby hubs. Instead of flying nonstop from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale, for instance, American also offers service from LAX to its nearby Miami (MIA) megahub. Instead of flying nonstop from Oakland to Dallas/Fort Worth, AA offers frequent nonstop flights from cross-bay San Francisco International (SFO) to DFW.

Internationally, American Airlines is putting its Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Rome (FCO) flight into seasonal hibernation. It goes away on October 26, and plans are for it to re-emerge in April 2009. Italian flag carrier Alitalia also offers nonstop service on the O’Hare–Rome route.

In all, American is cutting its seat capacity by just under 5 percent. The move follows flight cuts by United Airlines and Delta Air Lines announced earlier.

Strategies for coping with all the airline cuts we’re seeing are out there, and Cheapflights will keep you abreast of them.

© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler

Comments

[Dave]

FLL-LAX: three stops on Southwest? Haha. Try daily non-stop on Spirit or a daily non-stop to Long Beach on JetBlue!