Goodbye, Toledo: Smaller cities set to lose service as airlines pull back
CBSN
What do Toledo, Ohio, Dubuque, Iowa, and New York's Ithaca and Islip have in common? By September, each of these cities will lose some - if not all - of their air service from United, Delta or American Airlines.
Pilot shortages, the rise in fuel prices, a new contract with the pilots who are still flying and inflation have all created a perfect storm for airlines and travelers.
Some airlines, like American, parked 100 of their jets a few weeks ago and had to admit they simply didn't have the pilots to fly the planes. And with rising fuel costs and pilot salaries, the planes themselves — 50-seat regional jets — are no longer profitable to fly. Given current costs, these planes would have to fly at about 90% load factors to make a small profit. And those numbers just don't add up for the airlines.