U.S. Airlines Cut Schedules Despite Demand

The six big network U.S. airlines have cut their U.S. schedules, despite strong travel demand, due to high fuel costs, a published report said Tuesday.

American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways have scheduled 4.4 percent fewer seats for January than they did a year earlier, USA Today reported.

The airlines, which handle about two-thirds of domestic U.S. flying, are responding to a rise in fuel prices, which can make some flights unprofitable, said research engineer William Swelbar, who heads the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s International Center for Air Transportation.

With $90 oil, (airlines) have to really look in the mirror … to see whether the economics still make sense, he told the newspaper.

The reduction means 72,000 fewer domestic seats a day at a time when the average U.S. flight is running about four-fifths full, USA Today said.

The cutbacks also reflect the airlines recent shift toward increasing international routes, which, in general, are more profitable, the newspaper said.

Domestic flight cuts could complicate winter travel, said Wayne Shank, deputy executive director of the Norfolk, Va., airport.

If you have a cancellation, you could be sitting there for a couple of days instead of a couple of hours, he told the newspaper.