American Airlines cuts 1,175 flights in July and August to ease disruptions

American Airlines Group notified pilots that it has canceled 1,175 flights in July and August as part of efforts to build more “buffer” into its schedule and reduce disruptions that have plagued the industry this summer. The cuts come after the carrier this week detailed plans to trim flight capacity as much as 10% this quarter and 9.5% for the year from pre-pandemic levels, joining other major airlines that are revising operations amid staffing shortfalls and high costs. The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier didn’t comment Friday beyond acknowledging the near-term cancellations. American brought capacity back at a faster pace than rivals after slashing flights when the pandemic decimated travel demand, and is operating an average 5,400 daily flights. At the same time, the carrier has parked 100 aircraft at its wholly owned regional carriers because of a pilot shortage, and cut the equivalent of another 45 jets by decreasing how much it flies some planes at the main airline operations.<br/>