15-05-2025
Major airline holding flights to accommodate flyers with connections
Many Americans are planning to take to the skies to get to their destinations this summer.
Ahead of the season, American Airlines announced that for the period between May 16 and Sept. 2, over 715,000 flights have been booked — with July 6 predicted to be the most-traveled day.
American Airlines is looking to take some of the anxiety away from some of those flights by introducing new technology for customers with connections.
"If the airline determines it can delay the flight without any impact on the airline's schedule, we will propose a short hold to get those connecting customers onboard," the airline announced in a press release.
The technology will first be rolled out at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport hub in Texas to "identif[y] departing flights with connecting customers who might miss their flight."
It is unclear how long planes can be held and if there will be any impact on fellow flyers.
The technology "helps automate and enhance existing processes to hold certain connecting flights so the airline can help even more customers make their connections and get to their final destinations," the press release also notes.
Following the first rollout, American Airlines plans to expand the test to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, followed by other hubs over the summer.
Heather Garboden, chief customer officer at American Airlines, said in the press release, "Expectations are high when customers are traveling for their hard-earned summer vacations."
A massive 45.1 million Americans are set to travel at least 50 miles from their home during the long weekend, AAA announced.
Of the millions of Americans traveling, AAA predicts 3.61 million will be flying to their destinations. That's a 2% increase from last year.
"Whether it's our redesigned app, improvements to our boarding process or other new technology across the operation, we are excited for customers to have a new and improved experience traveling with us this summer," Garboden added.
Fox News Digital reached out to American Airlines for additional comment.
