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Demand for air travel has not just bounced back from COVID-19, it has surpassed pre-COVID numbers. But despite the high demand, ongoing issues with Boeing aircrafts are causing DFW-based airlines to cut back on flight routes through 2025. Experts say travelers will soon feel the effects in their wallets.
American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both announced decreased routes last month, citing delivery delays and aircraft shortages.
American Airlines will reduce several long-haul flights from DFW International Airport this year due to delivery delays of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. American’s daily flights to Dublin and Rome will be halted in late October and are expected to resume in summer 2025. Flights to Kona International Airport in Hawaii will also be halted this winter.
Southwest Airlines, which flies exclusively Boeing aircrafts, is making more dramatic adjustments due to the shortages. The company said it expects 20 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft deliveries in 2024, down from an anticipated 46. The airline had originally planned to add 79 planes to its fleet before lowering that to 46.
Southwest is ending service in four “underperforming” markets starting Aug. 4: George Bush International Airport in Houston, Bellingham International Airport in Washington, Syracuse Hancock International Airport in New York and Cozumel International Airport on Cozumel island, Mexico.
What This Means For Travelers
Flight prices are already significantly higher than in years past, said Casey Carr, Vice President of the Dallas-based travel agency Sharon Carr Travel. While flights to Europe have been getting more expensive since COVID, domestic ticket prices are now starting to increase, he said.
One client, a family going to Canada in the fall, recently paid $1,000 per person for their flights. A year ago, they would have paid $650, Carr said. But he thinks those prices have not yet been impacted by the Boeing shortages.
“I wouldn’t say that we’ve seen the impacts quite yet, but we will for sure,” Carr said. “It is going to drive prices higher for the remaining routes because of the demand. Demand is already very very high, and prices are already very very high.”
Carr was “surprised” to see the DFW to Rome flight get cut because of its popularity. Italy is the agency’s most sought after destination, he said, with Mexico not far behind. He speculates that the move by American Airlines to end daily flights to Rome could mean Dallas travelers hoping to see the Eternal City will spend 10% to 30% more than current prices. Southwest pulling out of the Cozumel airport will put a similar strain on demand.
Travelers are finding ways to avoid sky-high ticket prices, though. One trend popularized by the social media app TikTok that Carr is seeing grow in popularity with clients are “dupe destinations,” or cities that are less expensive but similar aesthetically to major travel hot spots.
Montreal is a popular “dupe” for Paris. Lake Atitlán in Guatemala could be a good option for the traveler who had hoped to go to Lake Como. Over-water bungalows in Panama might satisfy the Maldives itch.
“You can have a similar experience for a fraction of the cost,” Carr said. “A lot of people are considering things like that, and I think that trend is directly related to the environment of the travel industry right now.”
What Is Causing the Boeing Delays?
If the airlines think they’ve had a rough year so far, Boeing’s 2024 has been worse.
On Jan. 5, an Alaska Airlines flight lost a rear door plug only minutes into takeoff, sucking personal items out of the “person-sized” hole. No injuries were reported, and the seats next to the door were empty at the time of the incident. Alaskan Airlines decided to ground all 65 Boeing 737 Max 9s in the airline’s fleet following the incident. Soon after, the Federal Aviation Administration called for a wider shutdown, grounding planes across airlines.
The FAA then launched a six-week audit into Boeing’s production of the 737 jet and found “multiple instances” of quality-control failures. Boeing was given a 90-day window, which expires at the end of May, to come up with a plan to address manufacturing issues. In the meantime the FAA has limited the number of planes the company is allowed to produce each month, leading to the delivery delays.
While the resulting inflated ticket prices may make it seem like customers are getting the short end of the stick, Carr said the airlines are just as anxious to get back to normal as travelers are. He believes that, based on current information, mid-2025 is an accurate estimate of when prices could start to drop.
“The airlines definitely want those flights in the air,” Carr said. “All of the forces are working in that direction, but there are so many things that could affect that timeline like world events, delivery shortages, staff shortages. All of those things have been plaguing the travel industry since 2020.”
