US Airlines Cut Flights, Withdraw Financial Guidance Amid Economic Uncertainty

Major U.S. airlines, including American, Delta, Southwest, and United, are scaling back flight schedules and revising or withdrawing their profit forecasts due to weakening travel demand linked to economic uncertainty and consumer caution. The drop in bookings is most pronounced among economy class leisure travelers, with airline executives noting that domestic leisure travel fell sharply after January. Contributing factors include widespread fears of a recession, declining consumer sentiment, and concerns that President Donald Trump’s tariffs are raising prices and dampening discretionary spending. International travel to the U.S. is also declining, partly due to anti-American sentiment and retaliatory tariffs, with data showing notable drops in visitors from Canada and other countries. Airlines are responding by reducing planned capacity increases, accelerating aircraft retirements, and maintaining flat or lower growth estimates for the rest of the year. Despite these challenges, business and premium international travel has remained relatively resilient so far.