Americans are cutting 3 more US cities, bringing total pandemic period to 18 exits from the market

Times are not getting better for small US cities, as they continue to bear the brunt of airline network changes during the pandemic.

The latest move comes from American Airlines. The airline will withdraw from the following three US cities this spring (at an undisclosed date):

• Columbus, Georgia.
• Del Rio, Texas.
• Long Beach, California.

When the Americans withdraw from Del Rio, it will leave the Texas city without any commercial air service. Historically, Envoy Air, an affiliate of American Eagle, has flown to Del Rio from its major American hub at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

Delta Air Lines serves the western Georgia city of Columbus while Delta, Hawaiian Airlines and Southwest Airlines serve Long Beach. It’s possible that American’s competitors could make up for some of these lost connections with additional flights in the coming months.

Americans previously flew to Columbus from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and DFW; it flew to Long Beach from DFW and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).

All three recent cities are served by US regional affiliates – not the main jet.

In a statement confirming the city cuts, a US spokesman shared:

“In response to a regional pilot shortage affecting the airline industry and weak demand, American Airlines has made the difficult decision to terminate service at Columbus, Georgia (CSG), Del Rio, Texas (DRT) and Long Beach, California (LGB) this spring. We are extremely grateful for the care and service our team members have provided our customers in these cities and are working closely with them during this time. We will proactively contact customers who have scheduled travel to offer alternative arrangements.”

These three affected cities join a growing list 65 domestic airports lost service to one of the three major US airlines (American, Delta and United) during the pandemic, according to Cirium scheduling and analysis by aviation consulting firm Ailevon Pacific.

All these terminal exits take place at a time when major airlines are facing personnel shortage, especially among their pilots. The pilot shortage has become a particular challenge for regional affiliates that have served as stepping stones for beginner pilots looking to start their careers and eventually work at major US airlines.

Airlines are work hard to grow a system of future pilots, but the shortage is not what they can be fixed overnight. In such cases, shortages have led to carriers pulling out of small cities.

Of the 3 major US airlines, United has attracted the most headlines for a big pullback in regional connectivity — Currently present at 36 markets nationwide. That said, Americans have now withdrawn from 18 cities since the pandemic began, and you’ll find the full list at the bottom of this post.