American Airlines will cut four regional cities from its network: Travel Weekly

American Airlines on Sept. 7 will cut four regional airports from its route network: Long Island MacArthur (Islip) and Ithaca in New York; Dubuque, Iowa; and Toledo, Ohio. 

American said it made the cuts because of the pilot shortage impacting the U.S. airline industry. The carrier says 100 of its American Eagle-branded regional jets are grounded due to the pilot shortage. 

Since last September, the airline will have eliminated a total eight regional airports from its network when Islip, Ithaca, Dubuque and Toledo are cut. 

American Eagle currently flies twice daily from Dubuque to Chicago O’Hare on 50-seat regional jets. It also flies twice daily to O’Hare from Toledo. American Eagle offers up to two daily flights to Philadelphia from Islip and Ithaca. 

The Dubuque and Toledo flights are operated by American regional subsidiary Envoy Air. Piedmont, a subsidiary of American, operates the Ithaca and Islip flights. 

This month, American entered into new agreements with pilots at Envoy, Piedmont and a third regional subsidiary, PSA, offering leading pay in the U.S. regional airline industry. 

“That shortage could loom for some time, so we are taking bold, innovative steps to address the issue head-on,” American said of the pilot shortfall.

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