Airlines add winter flights between US, Europe in sign of hope

Airlines are cautiously adding capacity between the US and Europe over winter, as carriers try to capitalize on looser travel restrictions without over-stretching during the seasonally slower months. The number of flights from Western Europe to North America is poised to jump by 7.5% between late October and early November, when the US ban lifts on visits from most European countries, based on data from BloombergNEF. Traffic will then head for a peak in late December. While European carriers have built up forward schedules throughout the coronavirus pandemic, only to consolidate when demand fails to materialize, “we’ve seen far fewer cancellations in recent weeks,” said David Doherty, a BloombergNEF analyst. That “shows that airlines are increasingly confident about load factors.” Colder countries such as the UK and Germany are set to capture the lion’s share of any winter bump, as airlines pare back summer schedules between the US and warmer nations. US capacity to the UK is set to surge 79% between September and December based on current schedules, according to flight tracker OAG. For Germany, the increase is 21%, while seats offered for Spain and Italy decline. OAG expects some of the flights to the UK and Germany to be cut as airlines adjust their schedules.<br/>