American Airlines to drop daily nonstop between Tucson, Charlotte
Nov 1, 2018, 11:43 AM
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PHOENIX — American Airlines planned to drop a daily flight between Tucson and Charlotte, North Carolina, by early next year, according to a recent report.
The nonstop route, which had been established in February, will be flown for the last time Valentine’s Day 2019, the Charlotte Business Journal said Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for the airline told the Journal in an email the flight didn’t do enough business. That will leave Phoenix Sky Harbor International as the only Arizona airport to offer the flight.
Charlotte is the airline’s second-biggest hub, behind Dallas/Fort Worth.
The plane for the route, an Airbus 320, has a capacity of 150, not including crew.
American has fallen behind rivals Delta and United in profits, in part from the rise in fuel prices that have surged by more than a third in the past year.
In the third quarter, the airline recovered just 40 percent of that increase with higher prices, executives said.
The airline believed it can find $1 billion in new revenue, much of it by selling upgraded “premium economy” seats on international flights and no-frills “basic economy” on more U.S. and international routes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.