FILE: Some of the 88 American Airlines planes stored at Pittsburgh International Airport sit idle on a closed runway in Imperial, Pa., on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The country’s largest airline is dramatically slashing the number of flights it offers from three of the country’s busiest airports as coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues to slow commercial air travel to a trickle.
American Airlines late Monday said that it will begin offering only 13 daily flights from John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty airports — down from 270 flights at the same point last year. The temporary schedule, effective Tuesday, will run through at least May 6.
“The demand for flights to the New York area is rapidly evaporating,” the airline, the country’s largest by passenger traffic in 2019, said in a statement.
The New York metropolitan region, and New York City in particular, is an epicenter of coronavirus. More than a third of the 10,993 U.S. deaths attributed to COVID-19 have occurred in New York City alone, as of Tuesday morning, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.
A tweet from American Airlines spokesman described just how much demand has declined:
Other U.S. airlines have made similarly dramatic cuts. United Airlines, for example, this weekend reduced its flights from the New York City region to just 17 a day: 15 from the airline’s hub in Newark and another two from LaGuardia. United had previously 157 daily flights from the two airports (it doesn’t fly from JFK).
Meanwhile, budget carrier Spirit eliminated all its flights into and out of the region’s airports. JetBlue last week announced plans to cut its New York area flights from 200 a day to 40.
Even as passenger travel has sharply dropped in the U.S., the Department of Transportation and the Treasury Department are re-considering whether to require airlines to maintain a minimum level of service to help facilitate the movement of essential workers and goods. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin last week said that airlines may be required to continue flying to be eligible to receive federal support from the roughly $50 billion set aside for airlines in the $2 trillion CARES Act that President Trump signed March 27.
American Airlines, in its statement announcing the flight reductions, appeared to seek to address this in describing the changes.
“We recognize the essential service we provide to New York, and all of the airports American serves, as the world fights the spread of COVID-19. This limited New York service will continue to provide critical connectivity for our customers, including transportation for any essential personnel and goods needed by the community and medical professionals battling the crisis.”
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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