Small airports serving small communities have been especially badly hit since the pandemic struck. According to consultancy Ailevon Pacific, 59 airports across the USA have been dropped (or soon will be) by American, Delta, and United since April 2020. Click here for a full list.

While several airports were Essential Air Service markets and another operator has materialized, most airports haven't been so lucky. Similarly, while some facilities have another airport relatively close by, lessening the blow, that's not the case for others.

Cuts: a summary

A breakdown of cuts by airline is as follows, with a closer look at American later in the article.

Perhaps the 'largest' airport no longer served is Destin-Fort Walton Beach by United. Cirium shows that it began the 528-mile (850km) route from Houston Intercontinental in March 2012 and continued until May 2022 mainly using 50-seaters. It later started Denver (March 2019-February 2022) and Chicago O'Hare (June 2019-September 2021).

1. American: 14 airports
2. Delta: 13 airports
3. United: 32 airports

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Why have they been cut?

Station cuts are driven by various factors, including the pilot shortage, parked regional aircraft, and because many airports were served by that increasingly dying breed: all-economy 50-seater regional jets.

CRJ-100s/200s and Embraer 140s/145s are among the world's least liked equipment, thanks to low ceilings and cramped conditions. However, they have historically been good for low-density routes involving small communities with short stage lengths and a lack of business travelers.

Not helped by the fuel price, single-class 50-seaters are notoriously costly on a seat-mile basis, necessitating higher fares – harder still if there's a lack of business demand. Recently, carriers have upgauged to larger and much more cost-efficient RJs, especially Embraer 175s, permitted by the scope clause agreement.

While it means that airlines benefit from more seats to sell, much better seat-mile costs, and often first class cabins, small communities that cannot sustain multi-class aircraft – and therefore are more suited to single-class ops – suffer the most.

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American's cuts: a summary

American is the world's largest airline. Through its Eagle subsidiary, it no longer serves the following 14 US airports. It means that Dubuque and Williamsport are without any airline service. Note that American served some airports in the following table on more than one occasion. When this happened, only the most recent time is mentioned. October 2015 appears frequently given the American-US Airways acquisition; they were ex-US markets.

What do you make of it all? Let us know in the comments.

Source (of the 59 cuts): Ailevon Pacific.