When airlines cut flights, passengers often pay the price in terms of not being able to get to their destination on their desired schedule. Unfortunately, this has been happening with increased frequency lately.
There is, of course, a good reason for airlines to make changes to their flight schedules. There has been weaker demand for travel in recent years, with the problems starting with the Covid pandemic and continuing in its aftermath due to inflation and general economic woes.
While it is normal for airlines to respond by cutting flights when fewer people want to take trips, this doesn’t make life any easier for those who are counting on a particular flight to take place. That’s why passengers who are frequent flyers need to pay attention and keep tabs on major changes to their travel options.
Unfortunately, just recently, a major airline announced the cancellation of around 50% of its flights to one huge city and 20% of its flights to another. This will have a big impact on the U.S. and international travelers who are going to be affected by the change.
Here are the details on the airline that is canceling its flights, so those who are planning a trip can make informed choices about how to get to their final destination.
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Asiana Airlines is canceling half of all flights to key U.S. airports
The airline that is going to be canceling hundreds of flights to a major U.S. city is Asiana Airlines.
It is a South Korean Airline with a total of 15 A350-900s in its fleet, which accommodate 311 passengers in total, spread across business class, economy plus, and economy class.
The impacted flight is one between Seoul and San Francisco.
Asiana Airlines launched the flight all the way back in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, despite its long history, Asiana Airlines has announced that it is going to be dramatically reducing the number of planes flying this route in the coming months.
Related: United Airlines cancels all flights to major city starting September
Specifically, during the winter season, Asiana is going to be making a 50% cut to the Seoul to San Francisco flight schedule. While Asiana used to fly a total of 10 weekly winter flights on this route (compared with seven in the summer), this will go down dramatically to only five flights per week this winter.
This is a surprising change, given that Cirium data revealed that Asiana typically increases service on this particular flight during the winter season. However, this current reduction is not just a rumor. It has been confirmed by an Asiana Airlines spokesperson, who told Simple Flying that the changes to the schedule were the result of seasonal schedule adjustments.
As a result of Asiana’s planned changes, many people could potentially see their travel plans impacted.
When will the flights be canceled?
Asiana Airlines expects the revised schedule to go into effect in late October, and it will continue through the months of November and December.
Related: Southwest Airlines cancels hundreds of flights from July to Sept.
Passengers affected will need to be aware of the fact that their options will be fewer in these months, so they can adjust their travel plans accordingly.
The good news is, Asiana Airlines is not the only one offering nonstop flights between Seoul and San Francisco. Other options, including Air Premia, United Airlines, and Korean Air also fly this route and may be worth considering.
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Flight cuts will also happen to another major city
San Francisco is not the only U.S. City that will see fewer Asiana Airlines flights, either.
The airline is also reportedly going to be reducing its Seoul–Seattle (SEA) schedule for September and October, with Cirium data showing that Asiana Airlines is going to reduce service from seven weekly flights to five weekly flights on this route during September and October.
This is a 20% reduction in flights compared with the prior year. It means that passengers to this city, as well, could struggle to get a seat on the plane they want.
Those who are traveling should start exploring other options to get to these destinations, and should do so sooner rather than later, as finding the right flight when so many are being cut can be a major challenge.