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American Airlines cuts some international flights from major U.S. airports next year — and blames Boeing

A number of new long-haul routes can’t go ahead as scheduled because Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner jets are delayed

Rhian Lubin
in New York
Tuesday 24 December 2024 15:42 GMT
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Related video: American Airlines announces forced grounding of all US flights as passengers await boarding on Christmas Eve

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American Airlines has cut some international flights from major US airports next year and delayed others, blaming Boeing for the hold up.

A number of new long-haul routes can’t go ahead yet because Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner jets are delayed, The Points Guy first reported.

“As a result of ongoing Boeing 787 delivery delays, American is adjusting service on certain routes in spring 2025 to ensure we are able to re-accommodate customers on affected flights,” the airline said in a statement.

“We’ll be proactively reaching out to our impacted customers to offer alternate travel arrangements and remain committed to mitigating the impact of these Boeing delays while continuing to offer a comprehensive global network.”

American Airlines is awaiting delivery of 25 of the 787 Dreamline jets, according to Boeing orders and delivery figures.

American Airlines services between Miami International Airport and Ministro Pistarini International Airport, near Buenos Aires, are being cut from three daily to two.

A number of international American Airlines flights have been delayed due to a hold up with Boeing air
A number of international American Airlines flights have been delayed due to a hold up with Boeing air (EPA)

Flights from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to Paris Charles De Gaulle have been on hold since September and won’t be restarting until May. They were scheduled to resume in April.

At Miami, flights to the Parisian airport will be temporarily suspended in May.

The airline stressed that routes to the destinations would not be canceled due to Boeing delays, but the flights would be starting later than planned.

The Independent has contacted Boeing for comment.

This morning American Airlines grounded its flights for around an hour across the U.S. on Christmas Eve amid one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

An American Airlines employee wearing a Santa Claus hat awaits further updates at Miami International Airport, on Christmas Eve
An American Airlines employee wearing a Santa Claus hat awaits further updates at Miami International Airport, on Christmas Eve (AP)

The technology issue impacted systems needed to release flights, causing a ground stop that lasted approximately one hour.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) posted a nationwide groundstop order for all American flights at the request of the airline, an advisory notice shows, which has since been lifted.

Passengers aired their woes on social media about the delays to their Christmas Eve travel plans due to the temporary halting of American Airlines flights.

One X user wrote that they had been required to deplane at Pittsburgh International Airport, to which the airline responded: “We’re doing our best to get things back on track. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this has caused.”

Travelers reported having to deplane at airports on Christmas Eve following the technical issue
Travelers reported having to deplane at airports on Christmas Eve following the technical issue (AP)

Another passenger wrote: “Heck of way to start Christmas. Hey, American Airlines just tell us whether we should go home or not. Please don’t make us wait in the airport for hours.”

A video posted from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport showed a large crowd waiting in the gate area with an announcer saying that its “system is down” so they could not get the crew on the plane nor board any customers.

FlightRadar24, a flight data tracking site, said on X that while the ground stop has now been canceled, “it will take some time for flights to get back to normal.”

It added that there are 420 active American Airlines flights as of 8:32 a.m., whereas at the same time last week, there were 620.

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