Airlines Worldwide Limit, Cancel Flights

The three leading U.S. airlines are trimming their New Year’s Eve flight schedules because of reduced demand for travel, in part because of concerns over the possibility of Y2K-related problems. UAL Corp.’s United Airlines said it is shrinking its New Year’s Eve schedule by 34% and its New Year’s Day one by 14%. For AMR Corp.’s American Airlines, the comparable figures are 36% and 5%; and for Delta Air Lines Inc., 23% and 14%. United and American had previously said they would cut about 20% of their New Year’s Eve flights, but as bookings failed to rise, they were forced to make deeper cuts.

Demand has been down, the carriers said, because more people are working during the holiday or deciding to stay home to celebrate the new year. Furthermore, because New Year’s Day falls on a Saturday, more people have a holiday on New Year’s Eve and therefore would be more likely to travel on Thursday if they do at all, the representatives said.

A poll conducted by the Travel Industry Assn. of America, the umbrella organization for U.S. air carriers, found that about 76% of adults are unlikely to travel during the holiday, although only 5% of those said it was because of fears of possible Y2K-related equipment problems.