If you’re flying with United Airlines this summer, you may find fewer departure times to choose from.
The airline is trimming nearly 5 percent of its planned domestic seat capacity for the remainder of the summer—one of the largest schedule pullbacks by a major U.S. carrier this season. To make that happen, the airline has removed more than 23,500 domestic flights from its schedule through early September, according to aviation publication Aeroroutes, which tracks airline schedules.
“Twenty-three thousand flights may feel like a lot, but in reality, 5 percent of seats isn’t too severe,” says Katy Nastro, a travel expert at flight deal tracking site Going. In other words, the reduction in seats is less drastic that it seems because many of the eliminated departures were scheduled on smaller regional aircraft.
Despite the scale of the cuts, travelers are unlikely to see United abandon destinations altogether. Instead, the airline is reducing flight frequencies on many routes and is focusing on operating larger aircraft versus smaller planes.
“Cuts skewed more towards regional aircraft and meant fewer flights per market rather than abandoning markets,” says aviation analyst Gary Leff, who pens the View From the Wing blog.
For travelers, that means the biggest change will likely be fewer daily departure options rather than fewer places to fly.
Why is United cutting so many flights?
Part of the reduction stems from plans that never came to fruition at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), one of United’s largest hubs. Leff says some of the flights that have since been removed were initially added in anticipation of United expanding its operations there.
“A portion of the cut was against [a] Chicago O’Hare expansion that was meant to [see United] gain gates there, with flights that never really made sense, and that the FAA did not [ultimately] allow,” he says.
Which routes are affected?
The reductions also won’t affect every route equally. According to schedule data analyzed by Aeroroutes, some regional markets and shorter-haul routes are seeing frequency cuts, while stronger-performing routes continue to grow. From Chicago, some of the routes most affected are to Albuquerque (down to 148 flights from 222 previously scheduled), Asheville (down to 222 from 289), and Akron (390 to 296). The airline has not released a comprehensive list of affected routes.
“Outside of the FAA restrictions imposed, the typical routes we’ve seen get the axe are the underperforming and/or midweek flights between secondary cities and a larger hub,” Nastro says. “A lot of which are underperforming, [meaning they’re] not as full, or routes that have multiple flights already on the schedule that can afford a trim without causing too much chaos if there were to be a disruption, in which case people still have options to be rebooked.”
Other U.S. airlines scaling back on flights
United is not the only airline taking a more cautious approach to summer flying.
“American and Delta have made similar sized cuts to one another, about two-thirds less than United, while Southwest and Alaska have made even smaller adjustments according to Cirium scheduling data,” Nastro says. Though other carriers haven’t removed as many flights, all are weighing demand against higher operating costs.
“Jet fuel has thrown a wrench in airlines’ revenue plans,” Nastro adds. “Airlines are looking out for their own bottom line. What’s unsurprising is that, despite the limitations, they are willing to cut during a peak season. Unfortunately, that means we are in for higher fares for the foreseeable future, especially given the reduced number of flights on the schedule.”
The result is a summer schedule that is being shaped by which flights still make financial sense to operate.
Looking ahead, Leff expects airlines to continue adjusting schedules based on both operating costs and consumer demand.
“Overall, the direction of capacity is going to be driven both by cost—with fuel cost more variable than aircraft, labor, or airport expenses—and passenger demand, which largely moves with the economy,” he says.
What affected travelers should do
If you’ve already booked a United flight for later this summer, it’s worth checking your reservation periodically. Airlines routinely adjust schedules, and changes to departure times or aircraft types are common when networks are adjusted.
For those who haven’t booked yet, fewer daily departures could mean popular flights fill more quickly, particularly on weekends and around holidays. Booking earlier—and remaining flexible on departure times—may help secure better fares and more convenient itineraries.
