American Foresees Flying Less Than Half of 2019 Schedule Through February

Speaking today at Miami International Airport prior to departure of the recertified Boeing 737 MAX aircraft's first passenger flight since it was grounded 22 months ago, American Airlines' President Robert Isom told media that the carrier expects the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue dragging down demand and prompting schedule reductions during the first months of 2021.

According to CNBC, Isom said that American is flying around 45 percent of its 2019 schedule this month.

"We anticipate that's something that will carry on into January and February. We are hopeful that the vaccine will show some promise," he said.

American and competing U.S. carriers have recently warned investors that, despite the brief spike in customer demand that accompanies the end-of-year holidays, the past several weeks' alarming surge in new COVID-19 cases and ensuing issuance of new travel restrictions have negatively impacted overall demand, and therefore 2020's fourth-quarter revenues.

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