American Airlines Group Inc. said on Wednesday that it was preparing to operate an almost normal summer program, anticipating that large-scale vaccination would whet the appetite for travel.
American is one of several carriers that have added flights to the US and nearby destinations such as Mexico and the Caribbean, taking advantage of growing demand as people have started booking travel again. The American said it will fly 150 new routes this summer and now expects to offer more than 90% of its pre-pandemic capacity in the US and 80% of its international capacity.
Summer is usually the busiest and most profitable time of year for airlines, but the coronavirus pandemic has shattered hopes for last summer’s travel season. Carriers such as Americans, who bet on rising demand, had to cut back on their programs when the number of cases resumed, and many cities and states imposed new travel restrictions and restricted activities such as indoor dining.
However, the US economy has evolved as more vaccines have been distributed. Airlines believe that the growing demand they have seen in recent weeks is likely to continue as more people are vaccinated, even though recently reported cases of coronavirus have increased in some areas and more infectious variants are spreading. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends travel, he said earlier this month that it is a low-risk activity for people who have been fully vaccinated.
Other airlines have also said they are seeing an increase in more complete flights and an increasing number of future bookings and are rapidly completing their summer route networks. Discounter Allegiant Travel Co. said last week that its average daily bookings in March were higher than in March 2019. Frontier Airlines, another low-cost carrier, announced eight new routes on Tuesday and plans to add services to Alaska.