Lufthansa cuts 20k flights

Lufthansa is cutting 20,000 short-haul flights from its summer schedule as jet fuel prices surge and thin-margin routes stop paying for themselves. (euronews.com) The cuts run through October and are aimed at “unprofitable short-haul flights” across the Lufthansa Group, which includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways and SWISS. The airline said the move should save more than 40,000 metric tonnes of jet fuel. (euronews.com) Bloomberg reported the 20,000-flight reduction equals about 1% of Lufthansa’s available seat-kilometers, and said the group is also grounding 27 older aircraft after announcing the shutdown of its CityLine regional unit. (bloomberg.com) The immediate passenger impact is fewer direct options on smaller European routes. Euronews, citing the company, said Lufthansa has already dropped service to Bydgoszcz and Rzeszów in Poland and Stavanger in Norway, while shifting more passengers through hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels and Rome. (euronews.com) The cuts land just as airlines warn that summer travel is getting more expensive across the board. ABC News reported United Airlines told travelers fares may need to rise 15% to 20% to offset fuel costs, and Alaska Airlines said it expects to spend $600 million more on jet fuel in the second quarter than it had forecast. (abcnews.com) ABC also reported that average domestic airfare is up $55 from a year ago, based on Kayak historical data, and that Delta, United and American have canceled more than 5,000 routes from May through September, or about 33 flights a day. (abcnews.com) Fuel is rising fast enough that carriers are redesigning schedules, not just nudging fares. Euronews cited International Air Transport Association data showing Europe’s weekly average jet fuel price at $188 per barrel, up 106.5% from last year’s average. (euronews.com) Travelers are also being told to expect longer airport lines if staffing gets tighter. ABC said concerns are growing that the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, in place since mid-February, could lead to more Transportation Security Administration callouts if emergency funds run low. (abcnews.com) One cheaper workaround is Frontier’s 2026 GoWild Summer Pass, which the airline launched on April 22 at an introductory price of $199 for more than five months of travel through September 30. Frontier said passholders can book domestic flights with no blackout dates if they book by May 8, and the airline is setting aside a limited number of seats on every domestic flight during that window. (flyfrontier.com) But the pass is not a flat $199 vacation. Forbes Advisor reported domestic bookings can be made as little as one day before departure, taxes and fees still apply per segment, and early-booking fees can run as high as $99 on peak travel dates. (forbes.com) For passengers, the summer outlook is simple: fewer flights on weaker routes, higher fares on the flights that remain, and more pressure to book early if a trip cannot move. (cbsnews.com)