American Airlines has become the latest carrier to thin its schedule as the cost of jet fuel keeps climbing. According to the Associated Press, the airline is temporarily suspending some of its routes this summer, pointing to the steep price of fuel that has strained carriers’ budgets since the war with Iran began.
It is a modest change set against the scale of American’s network, but it hints at a wider squeeze running through the industry. Fuel is among the largest single costs an airline carries, and when the price jumps, the thinner, less-travelled routes tend to be the first to feel it.
Which Routes Are Coming off the Board
American confirmed on Wednesday that it would suspend six North American routes, according to reports. Four are nonstop services out of Los Angeles International Airport (flights to Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Washington Dulles) while the other two run between Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina and Ontario and Sacramento in California.
The pattern skews toward California. Four of the six suspended routes touch Los Angeles, and the two Charlotte flights connect to West Coast cities, leaving the cuts, according to reports, particularly concentrated among California-linked services.
The suspensions take effect between August 5 and October 5. Passengers already booked on an affected flight will be offered alternative arrangements or a refund, the airline said. Travelers still hoping to fly from Los Angeles to one of the dropped cities can generally be accommodated, though the trip may now require a connection.
American Airlines was careful to frame the move as a seasonal adjustment rather than anything permanent. “American has seasonally adjusted service on select routes in August and September as the airline refines its capacity growth for 2026,” it said, adding that it was not suspending any routes indefinitely and that the changes were in line with wider industry trends. The carrier did not immediately provide a fuller breakdown of the affected flights to the Associated Press, though other outlets reported the same six routes.
The Fuel Math behind the Decision
The reason for the cuts comes down to the price of jet fuel, which has surged during the conflict. American confirmed to the Associated Press that higher fuel costs were responsible for the decision, and analysts note that fuel can account for about 30 percent of an airline’s total expenses, so even a short-lived spike pushes carriers to reconsider which flights are worth running.
The figures help explain the pressure. A barrel of jet fuel averaged nearly $142 last week, according to the International Air Transport Association, down from a peak in April, yet well above the $99 it was fetching before the United States and Israel opened the war with attacks on Iran in late February. American, meanwhile, expects its jet fuel bill to rise by more than $4 billion this year, Reuters reported.
The strain extends well beyond a single carrier. Much of the traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that handles a large share of the world’s oil, has been at an effective standstill for about three months. Other airlines have trimmed their own schedules too, Norse Atlantic Airways, dropped all of its summer flights from Los Angeles over the same fuel costs. And the effects reach past the terminal, with gasoline, food and other everyday essentials caught in the same supply shocks.
