American Airlines Announces Thousands of Summer Flights at Airports Including DFW

FORT WORTH, Texas. Things won’t slow down for travel agent Andrea Ballard in a few weeks. This time of year makes her busier than ever.

“January to March is really big booking season,” said Andrea Ballard.

Ballard is part of the customer service team at the Sanders Travel Center in Fort Worth. They help their clients make reliable travel plans that include booking air tickets at a good price. They make planning vacations and business trips less of a headache for people who just want to get away.

“Air travel prices will be lower because these flights are not yet full. And work with your agent and plan where you want to go when you want to get there,” Ballard said.

Despite a busy travel season, American Airlines has just announced the reduction of thousands of flights in its summer schedule. One of the main reasons is that, like other airlines, American faces a constant shortage of pilots. While travel agents aren’t surprised, this influences their choice.

American Airlines will cut 5,910 flights to Chicago O’Hare, 5,054 flights to DFW and nearly 4,000 flights to Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The summer cut announcement comes early enough for travelers to make adjustments, especially those who depend on travel experts.

When Stephanie Kilson-Thomas is booking a flight for her clients, no dates are usually discussed. This is because a large part of her business involves getting the wedding party and guests to their destination at a specific time on a specific day for a specific event. Summer is also the key to her success.

“Many people like to get married during the summer months,” says Kilson-Thomas.

The reduced flights will have a slight impact on Kilson-Thomas travel agent bookings. She owns and operates KT Travel & More in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. She is constantly looking for flights for weddings in places like Cancun. In some cases, she herself has to jump on a plane as part of customer service. Its goal is to safely transport customers back and forth to their homes without any disruption to their journeys.

Kilson-Thomas strongly encourages every traveler to sign up for Travel Protection. Kilson-Thomas warns that it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Announcing flight cuts early helps travel agencies plan better. They urge that even if you book your own flight, do it as early as possible. Kilson-Thomas is urging travelers to start planning months in advance, especially as the airline is dealing with cutbacks and other factors that can change your flight at the last minute.

“We have to understand the pilot situation,” Kilson-Thomas said. “Safe travel will be very important.”

Despite fewer flights, the Dallas and Fort Worth-based company will still have 800 departures from DFW every day this summer.