American Airlines over the weekend cut 19 domestic and eight international routes, 18 of which affect New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports, American confirmed Monday. Several of the New York routes will be served by American partner JetBlue.
"Over the weekend, American optimized its flying schedule to better connect customers with the destinations most important to them," according to a statement from an American spokesperson. "Part of that process resulted in the winding down of a handful of routes, including our dedicated shuttle service. We're proactively reaching out to customers affected by these changes to offer alternate travel arrangements."
The cuts first were reported by The Points Guy website, which also reported United Airlines plans to eliminate service to 11 domestic cities. United did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
American will cease service between LaGuardia and Boston Logan International Airport as of Jan. 4, 2022. American will continue to operate between JFK and Boston and the JFK-Washington Reagan National service, and American's Northeast Alliance partner JetBlue will offer service between LaGuardia and Boston. Further, JetBlue already is operating or plans to fly 10 of the 18 routes from New York that American is cutting.
The additional LaGuardia routes being cut include service to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket in Massachusetts; Asheville, N.C.; Portland and Bangor in Maine; Charleston, S.C.; Orlando, Myrtle Beach and Pensacola in Florida; Philadelphia; Savannah, Ga.; and Traverse City, Mich. Services from JFK being cut include San Antonio, Texas; San Jose and Liberia in Costa Rica; and Montreal and Toronto in Canada. The changes will take effect between Jan. 4 and June 17, 2022.
Further service cuts to Canada include the Philadelphia to Ottawa and Phoenix to each Calgary and Vancouver routes.
The United cuts are mainly regional with the cities affected including Columbia, Mo.; Evansville, Ind.; Pierre and Watertown in South Dakota; and Kalamazoo/Battle Creek and Lansing in Michigan. The services will end on Jan. 3, 2022, according to the report.
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