Airlines trimming summer schedules
Major carriers are already adjusting summer plans: Delta plans to cut about 5% of its summer 2026 capacity, and Cathay Pacific has extended suspensions of flights to Dubai and Riyadh through June 30, 2026, as airlines react to fuel pressures. European low‑cost carriers Ryanair and easyJet are warning passengers to expect possible schedule changes from early May if jet‑fuel supply tightens. (travelandtourworld.com) (thetraveler.org)
Airlines are already cutting summer flying as jet fuel costs jump, turning what looked like a growth season into a tighter schedule. (delta.com) Delta Air Lines said on April 8 that it is “meaningfully reducing capacity growth,” with June-quarter capacity now expected to be flat from a year earlier. The airline said it still expects about $1 billion in pre-tax profit in the quarter, even with a fuel-expense increase of more than $2 billion at current prices. (delta.com) Cathay Pacific said it will cancel about 2 percent of scheduled passenger flights from May 16 through June 30, 2026, and keep Dubai and Riyadh suspended until June 30. Its low-cost unit HK Express will cut about 6 percent of flights from May 11. (ttgasia.com) Jet fuel is the biggest variable cost for most airlines, and carriers cannot quickly swap it out or use less of it without cutting flights, raising fares, or both. Delta said its own refinery near Philadelphia should provide a $300 million benefit in the June quarter, which shows how unusual it is for an airline to have any direct hedge against a fuel shock. (cnbc.com) The pressure is spreading beyond long-haul airlines. Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said on April 1 that supply disruption could begin in early May if the Middle East war continues, and that 10 percent to 25 percent of supply could be at risk through May and June. (rte.ie) O’Leary also said Ryanair had bought forward about 80 percent of its fuel through March 2027 and had not cut flights, while naming Wizz Air and easyJet as airlines that had already reduced capacity by about 5 percent through May and June. (rte.ie) Cathay’s cuts show where the pressure is landing first: routes tied to the Middle East and airlines that rely heavily on imported fuel. TTG Asia, citing International Air Transport Association data, said the global average jet-fuel price reached $209 a barrel for the week ending April 3, up from $99.40 for the week ending February 27. (ttgasia.com) For travelers, the immediate change is not a shutdown of summer flying but a thinner schedule, especially from mid-May onward. Airlines are still saying demand is strong; they are just flying fewer seats into a market where fuel has become much more expensive. (delta.com)
