American Airlines Flight 718, the United States’ first commercial Boeing 737 MAX flight since regulators suspended a 20-month grounding in November, takes off from Miami, Florida on December 29, 2020.
Marco Bello | Reuters
American Airlines expects the impact of the coronavirus pandemic to continue to weigh on demand and schedules until 2021, the company’s president said on Tuesday.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline is flying about 45% of its 2019 schedule this month, Robert Isom told reporters at Miami International Airport, before the first Boeing 737 Max flight in the United States debuted. with commercial passengers since it was suspended almost two years ago.
“We anticipate that this will continue in January and February. We hope that the vaccine will show promise,” he said.
American and its competitors have warned investors in recent weeks that an increase in Covid-19 cases and new travel restrictions have affected fourth quarter revenue, despite an increase in the number of travelers during the holiday season.