As the high cost of jet fuel puts new and continued pressures on the aviation industry, almost every airline around the world has adjusted its summer flying schedule to cut any routes that do not bring in enough passengers.German national airline Lufthansa axed up to 2,000 flights it was initially planning to run between May and October while, over in North America, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines and Air Canada have all made similar cuts.The total number of cuts amounts, for most airlines, somewhere between 3% and 8% of the total flying schedule. Some of Delta’s recent summer suspensions include flights from New York’s JFK to St. Louis, Memphis and Houston as well as a nonstop route between Raleigh-Durham and Las Vegas.American Airlines cuts multiple summer flights to CaliforniaThe latest carrier to confirm six routes that will be suspended this summer is Dallas-based American Airlines. The axed flights, as first spotted by watchdog Ishrion Aviation, include routes to Washington Dulles, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Columbus from LAX and Charlotte from Sacramento International (SMF) and Ontario International Airport (ONT) in California. The six flights will be suspended for the period between Aug. 5 to Oct. 5, with American intending to restart them in the fall.Related: Another low-cost airline cancels all flights for two weeks”American has seasonally adjusted service on select routes in August and September as the airline refines its capacity growth for 2026,” the airline said in a statement. “American is not suspending any routes indefinitely as part of this adjustment and will continue to proudly offer an industry-leading network with more flights than any other U.S. airline.”
Robert Isom has been the CEO of American Airlines since 2022.American Airlines
How to get a refund on a canceled American flightAs per the airline’s regular policy on cancelations, any travelers who booked travel before the route was called off will be contacted with the option to either rebook or receive a refund to the original method of payment. Travelers could also initiate this process independently through American’s website and their flight booking. Travelers whose fare class would otherwise not allow for refund are entitled to one in cases where the route is suspended by the carrier.More Travel News:Airline to launch unusual new flight to Cayman Islands from the U.S.What you can expect at Disneyland’s new ‘World of Frozen’Unexpected country is most luxurious travel destination for 2026U.S. government issues strange warning on Ireland travelWhile recent ebbs show some potential for improvement, jet fuel prices currently sit as $4 per gallon which is a spike of 80% from a year ago. American CEO Robert Isom had previously said that it expects nearly $4 billion more in additional expenses related to the price of jet fuel.Along with cancelations to optimize the use of jet fuel, airlines are also forced to keep flights that run to the Middle East suspended indefinitely due to the volatile security situation. At the end of May, American also once again pushed back the restart of its flights between Philadelphia International (PHL) and Hamad Internatinoal (DOH) in Doha and JFK and Tel Aviv International (TLV) until at least 2027.The Doha route was suspended in March 2026 after the U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran while resumption of service has been pushed back multiple times as the war with Iran continued to expand into a regional crisis.Related: 118-year-old transportation company files for bankruptcy