American, United and Southwest Airlines announced Wednesday plans to start cutting less-profitable routes in efforts to compensate for the rise of jet fuel.
The plan could affect cheaper options and travel to smaller destinations. Travelers at Southwest Florida International Airport shared their concerns about the changes.
“I’ll tell you one thing. I don’t like it. I really like flexibility and being able to choose the times that I’d like to fly,” John Solak said.
According to the International Air Transport Association, the average global price for jet fuel is $181.46 per barrel, a 6.1% increase in the past week. The rising costs are forcing airlines to make difficult decisions about their route offerings.
“That’s not good. A lot of people want to travel, come see family, and we always look at the price of gas. And of course, that now the flights are going to be going up, so that’s going to be hard on a lot of people trying to travel to see family,” Gina Gallant said.
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United Airlines already said December flights for this year are being trimmed. Holiday services with seasonal routes and destination services from the airline will also be affected.
This holiday period, 52.6 million passengers are expected to travel in the United States. The route cuts come at a time when many families are planning to reunite for the holidays.
“How are people going to be able to keep flying to be able to go see their family if everything is so expensive? Everything’s expensive. Flights are going up, gas, food. It definitely will affect a lot of people,” Gallant said.
“I don’t want to be stuffed onto one plane with one option to choose to get to where I need to go for the holidays. That doesn’t sound good at all,” Solak said.
If you already booked a flight with these airlines, you will either be offered a free rebooking, automatically rebooked, receive a refund or a credit. Last December, more than a million passengers traveled through RSW.