Why You Might Have Trouble Finding A Flight To Disney World In September

The airline industry has been dealing with some unprecedented challenges this summer.

Air travel has been a bit of a gamble recently.

Although summer travel demand has increased this year, airlines are having trouble keeping up. A pilot shortage, severe weather, and other issues have resulted in multiple flight delays and canceled flights. Delta Airlines cut 100 flights per day from its summer schedule to try to minimize disruptions. Now, another airline has adjusted its schedule for September.

According to The Orlando Business Journal, American Airlines has cut 7,000 flights from its September schedule. Originally, the airline was scheduled to have 148,766 flights in September, but now the total is 141,747. For those doing the math, that’s about 770,000 seats.

©American Airlines

In an earnings call, American Airline CEO Robert Isom said that the company is taking “proactive steps to build additional buffer into our schedule for the rest of the year.” He added that American is “sizing the airline for the resources we have available and the operating conditions we face, and we’ll make other changes as needed.”

©American Airlines

The two American Airlines hubs that have the largest cuts include Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport. So if you’re flying into or through those cities, it might be a little harder to get flights to Orlando, which is already the only domestic airline to make a global top 10 list for airline delays.

Orlando International Airport

So when might the airline industry be able to right itself again? Experts believe it will be at least another year, thanks to higher travel demand, staff shortages, and higher fuel prices.

So if you’re traveling to Disney World, the best thing you can do is book that flight as early as you can, and keep checking your flight schedule either on the airline’s website or through its app to make sure that your flight doesn’t get canceled, changed, or delayed. You’ll want to keep checking right up until the time you’re set to set foot on that plane.

Orlando International Airport

We also recommend reading up on Disney World’s various cancellation policies, as well as knowing what to do if you do learn your flight to Disney World is canceled. Also, be sure to check your credit card’s travel policies to see if you’re covered for delays and cancellations — if not, it might be wise to consider purchasing travel insurance.

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