FORT WORTH, Texas — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original article here.
American Airlines Group Inc. reported a mostly smooth week of holiday travel during one of the busiest weeks at its home base at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
The Fort Worth-based airline said it canceled one flight out of 7,200 flights at DFW Airport Nov. 21-29.
In total across its system during that period, American (Nasdaq: AAL) completed 99.8% of its flights without cancellation. A spokesperson said it had industry-leading on-time departures for the holiday period.
American Airlines operated nearly 58,000 flights through Nov. 29 and canceled 95 total. Of those 95 flights, 84 were due to weather and resulting air traffic constraints.
During the holiday travel season, when more people are flying than any other part of the year, the potential for chaotic schedule changes is high. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines experienced a scheduling crisis in December 2022, when the airline had to cancel more than 60% of its flights during a two-day period and 15,000 flights between Dec. 21-30.
Dec. 1 is American Airlines’ most-traveled day of the Thanksgiving holiday period, and 750,000 customers were expected to be on more than 6,500 flights that day.
Route changes
In other American news, the airline recently announced travel changes for the upcoming year, including a cut to a popular international vacation destination.
The carrier said it will launch new routes from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to Bismarck Municipal Airport in North Dakota and Boise Airport in Idaho beginning June 5. The airline will also introduce weekly Saturday flights between Appleton International Airport in Wisconsin and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport from Feb. 15 through May 3.
The new routes will be operated by Envoy Air Inc., an American Airlines affiliate headquartered in Irving. Travelers will board an Embraer E175 regional jet designed for short to mid-range flights. The jet holds between 76 and 88 passengers depending on the configuration of seats.
Plus, American said it will add flights to Appleton from Phoenix, DFW and Charlotte specifically for the 2025 NFL Draft, which is set to take place in April at the Green Bay Packers' Lambeau Field and the surrounding Titletown District.
But the airline said it will also stop flying between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Tulum, Mexico, starting Feb. 13, about eight months after the route began. Tulum International Airport opened its doors in March and American immediately added three routes to the vacation destination from Charlotte, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Miami International Airport.
Brian Znotins, American’s senior vice president of network planning, said that opening all three routes to Tulum at one time was too much. Znotins told The Points Guy that American had "more seats than people familiar with Tulum." The flights from DFW and MIA will continue.
The airline will also be making seasonal suspensions in flights to the Sunshine State next summer. Routes from Washington Reagan National to Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Chicago to Key West International Airport, and Chicago to Palm Springs International Airport will be halted in June. Additionally, flights from Miami to Westchester County Airport and Phoenix to Idaho Falls Regional Airport will be cut the same month.
The route changes coincide with seasonal travel trends, said Jay Singh, a communications specialist at American. In warmer months, the airline sees an uptick in travel to cooler areas, hence the added flights to the Midwest. Come winter again, American will likely add more routes to warmer destinations.
New tech
In addition to route changes, American has recently unveiled new technology changes.
The company announced Nov. 20 the expansion of its technology meant to prevent passengers from cutting in line ahead of their boarding group.
A customer who attempts to board before their assigned group is called will not be accepted by the new security protocol. The system will alert the gate agent and customer that the group has not yet been called.
The customer will be asked to step back and rejoin the line when it’s their turn.
American tested the new technology in November at Albuquerque International Sunport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Tucson International Airport.
American Airlines has now expanded the technology to more than 100 airports across the United States.
The new software platform also gives American staff more insight into the number of customers in each boarding group, displays arrival time for incoming flight connections and eliminates the need for staff to use multiple applications during boarding.
"We’ve heard from our customers that the ability to board with their assigned group is important to them because it’s a benefit associated with their AAdvantage status or fare purchase," stated Julie Rath, senior vice president of airport operations, reservations and service recovery for American Airlines. "The initial positive response from customers and team members has exceeded our expectations."
