Canceled flights complicate fall travel

If you’re planning to travel this fall, you may have fewer flights to choose from than before the pandemic.

Driving the news: U.S. airlines will cut hundreds of flights a day to accommodate pilot shortages and changing demand for travel, ABC News reports.

• The airline industry is operating 10-15% fewer flights compared to 2019, per the DMN.

Why it matters: Airlines usually weigh which destinations are most popular before deciding where to add flights and where to cut them. That means travelers headed to less popular cities could have a harder time getting there.

Meanwhile: Travelers are increasingly looking for a more seamless travel experience, and airlines will need to figure out how to keep them happy.

• Between January and June of this year, almost 16,000 complaints were made against U.S. airlines, according to a recent Department of Transportation report. Around 6,800 complaints were made during the same period last year.
• Refunds and flight problems, like cancellations and delays, were the most common reasons for this year’s complaints.

What we’re watching: The change-ups may continue as the airline industry figures out what post-pandemic travel will look like.

• Airlines can still add flights closer to the travel date if they want to.