Flights booked for this summer may have had their departure time or even day of travel changed as airlines have begun to change thousands of flight schedules.
From May to August, it is possible that any flight booked over 100 days in advance may have had their pre-scheduled information changed.
The flight schedule is published about a year from departure using historical data and trends to make predictions on how to maximize a plane’s capacity and meet demand.
But after the pandemic, these trends have become less accurate, meaning airlines may have had to shift their schedules to better accommodate the current demand.
Jeff Pelletier, managing director of Airline Data Inc., explained to ABC News, “For flights 100 plus days in advance, airlines are using new tools and more up-to-date information to help them schedule flights as efficiently as possible. They are looking at the future demand curves — the volume of passengers purchasing certain flights — to help them understand where the demand is, where passengers want to go,”
Furthermore, American Airlines is cutting tens of thousands of flights this summer due to pilot shortages. According to Good Morning America, American Airlines has changed or cut roughly 60,000 flights between May 1 and September 1 of 2023.
The best way to check if a flight has been changed in any way is to download the airline’s app and regularly check the itinerary. Sometimes airlines will notify passengers of changes, but not always.
Check out the video below to see how American Airlines and Southwest are responding to flight issues this summer:
Featured image from American Airlines
