American Airlines cuts 55,000 flights, parks 450 planes amid coronavirus: 'Fight of our lives'

Dawn Gilbertson | USA TODAY

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As soon as airlines announce one round of major cuts, they have to go back to the drawing board for even more.

United and Delta did that earlier this week and American joined in with more grim news on Thursday. The Dallas-based carrier American Airlines said it will scrub more than 55,000 flights in April and ground 450 planes, nearly a third of its fleet when regional jets are included.

American, the world's largest carrier by some measures, has cut international flying by 75 percent and domestic flights by 30 percent for April, with deeper cuts expected in May.

In a memo to American's 130,000 employees Thursday, airline president Robert Isom called the shrinking "unparalled in our company's history.''

"We are in the fight of our lives, and we will win,'' he said.

Delta parking 600 planes, drawing down operation

Delta Air Lines said Wednesday that it plans to park at least 600 planes, more than half of its fleet. That's double the number of parked planes it announced just a few days ago.

In a memo to employees, Delta CEO Ed Bastian described the airline's latest cuts as a partial shutdown of the airline. Delta now plans to cut 70% of its flights, up from an already-historic 40% reduction announced on Friday as the airline's March revenue takes a $2 billion hit from a plunge in bookings.

"As we draw down our operation, I know how painful it is to essentially hit the 'pause button' on so many things that are core to what we do for our customers and our mission to connect the world,'' he said. "But what will never stop is the spirit of the Delta people, which is shining through brighter than ever even in this dark moment.''

Bastian said approximately 10,000 Delta employees have offered to take voluntary leave.

United Airlines also intensifying already deep flight cuts

Late Sunday, United said it was slashing flights by 50%. Late Tuesday, just 48 hours later, the airline bumped up that figure to 60%, with more than 40%of the April flight cuts happening on flights across the U.S. and Canada.

With the cuts announced late Tuesday, United will operate just 45 daily long-haul international flights in April.

In the U.S., it is suspending nearly 70 routes in April, including several flights to Hawaii. The only city the airline is eliminating service to is Mammoth Lakes, California.

Travelers whose flights are canceled are eligible for a refund, even if they have nonrefundable tickets, including those restrictive basic economy tickets.

Travelers whose flights aren't canceled have the option of changing or canceling their flights without paying a hefty change fee if they meet certain guidelines outlined in the airline's coronavirus travel waivers.

JetBlue, Allegiant, Spirit also cutting flights

In a memo to employees early Wednesday, JetBlue Airways said it is cutting at least 40% of its flights in April and May and expects "substantial'' cuts in June and July. The airline plans to ground some planes.

As United, Southwest and other carriers have done, the company's executives shared some grim statistics: The airline has taken in less than $4 million per day on average in ticket sales and fees this month, compared with $22 million in March 2019.

At the same time, CEO Robin Hayes and President Joanna Geraghty said the airline has been issuing more than $20 million in credits to travelers canceling flights.

"This is a stunning shift, which is being driven by fewer new bookings, much lower fares, and a customer cancel rate more than 10 times the norm,'' the memo said. "If you do the math, $4 million per day does not come anywhere close to covering our expenses.''

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Spirit Airlines

Spirit, a rapidly growing airline that caters to budget travelers, is cutting April capacity by 20% and May capacity by 25%, CEO Ted Christie said in a memo to employees Wednesday.

Christie said the airline has slashed fares to lure passengers and the percentage of seats filled is still running 25% lower than a year ago is expected to decline further.

Allegiant Air

Allegiant, the discount airline, which specializes in flying vacationers nonstop from smaller cities to Las Vegas, Arizona, Florida and other popular tourist destinations, said it will reduce its capacity by 15% in April and May, but that those figures may double.

Allegiant said it is also suspending construction on its Sunseeker Resort in southwest Florida.

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Coronavirus slows travel significantly

Travel has plunged due to an increasing number of travel restrictions around the world, a near suspension of business travel and conventions and mass cancellations of events, including professional sports and concerts.

Then there's the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new guidelines, announced Monday, to avoid discretionary travel.

When asked what he would say to Americans planning a trip to Mexico or the Caribbean, President Donald Trump said Tuesday: "I would just say, 'Enjoy your home.'''