Airlines will offer almost 3,000 fewer domestic flights a day during the Thanksgiving season, promising fewer choices, fuller planes and higher fares for millions of Americans. Compared with last Thanksgiving season, there will be 11% fewer flights — 2.6 million fewer seats — on non-stop domestic routes from Nov. 20, the Thursday before Thanksgiving, through Nov. 30, the Sunday afterward.
Cost cuts airlines made to cover high fuel prices eliminated many routes and flights after Labor Day. Scarce seats got pricier.
The busy Thanksgiving season will be many travelers' first encounter with the slimmed-down schedules. The effect of fewer flights and full planes will make it harder for fliers to recover from delays, missed connections and canceled flights.
On Thanksgiving Day, the cutbacks are startling. US Airways (LCC) won't operate 40% of the flights it flew Thanksgiving Day last year. Delta Air Lines (DAL) cut 26% of Thanksgiving Day flights, and United Airlines (UAUA) cut 22%.
"Most of that's coming out in the afternoon, when people are eating turkey," US Airways spokesman Jim Olson says.
On many routes that lost a chunk of service, one or more carriers stopped flying between those cities because the service is no longer profitable.
By Thanksgiving, American (AMR) and Delta both will have halted non-stop flights between Charlotte and New York LaGuardia airport, for example. There will be 45% fewer non-stop flights than last season.
Another non-stop route where travelers could have a tough time is between Dallas' Love Field and Kansas City. It has lost nearly half the flights it had last Thanksgiving. American and discounter Southwest Airlines (LUV) served it last year. American stopped.
Passengers wanting to fly between Chicago O'Hare and Spokane, Wash., for Thanksgiving can't do it non-stop anymore. United Airlines, which now operates one flight daily each way, will stop on Nov. 2. Travelers will have to connect.
In fact, 84% of U.S. airports that had non-stop service during the Thanksgiving season last year to Chicago O'Hare — one of the USA's busiest airports — will have fewer flights this holiday.
JetBlue Airways (JBLU) is bucking the downsizing trend this holiday. It will operate 3% more flights.
Meanwhile, Southwest will add 15 extra flights Nov. 29-30, such as Dallas to Lubbock, Texas, to meet demand.
