【時報訊】美國航空公司本週四宣佈，從明年開始，該公司將大面積縮減聖路易地區的現有航班。
航空公司的母公司AMR表示將借貸29億元用於重點發展該公司的樞紐機場，包括芝加哥的O'Hare國際機場和Dallas/Fort Worth國際機場。
此項舉動將使得聖路易區明年4月僅存每日飛航航班36次，飛至9個城市。早在2003年，美國航空公司便開始逐步縮減聖路易Lambert機場的航班量。截止今年11月，Lambert國際機場每日飛航航班量將跌至82次，飛至20個城市。
AMR的董事長兼執行理事Gerard Arpey說：“這個決定有助於我們應對當今嚴酷的行業挑戰，並能夠促進公司未來的發展，保持盈利。”
然而，這個決策並未得到每個人的認同。聖路易市市長Francis Slay對此舉十分失望，稱其為“糟糕的商業決策”。Slay在他的博客上寫道：“美國航空公司放棄了一個發展勢頭良好的市場，並且趕走了很多忠實客戶。此項決策將導致該公司每年至少失去620，000名乘客，減少1.08億元的收入。”Slay市長的說法並非沒有道理，例如聖路易直飛San Diego的航班始終保持87%的滿座率，但卻莫名被取消服務，實在令人意外。
經過調整後，聖路易與以下城市的直飛航線將被取消：Austin, Texas; Nashville; Indianapolis; Wichita, Kan; Jacksonville, Fla; Madison, Wis; Francisco以及Des Moines, Iowa.
American Airlines to cut many flights from St. Louis
ST. LOUIS -- American Airlines said Thursday it will dramatically slash its remaining St. Louis flight schedule next year as part of a dramatic restructuring.
American's parent company, AMR Corp. announced it will raise or borrow $2.9 billion and will focus service on its primary hub airports, including Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International. The moves will leave St. Louis with 36 daily departures to nine cities on American and American Eagle next April.
"Today's announcement positions our company well to face today's industry challenges and allows us to remain focused on the future and on returning to profitability," said AMR chairman and chief executive Gerard Arpey.
American St. Louis officials were briefed on this latest round of flight reductions late Wednesday. Since 2003, American has made a series of deep service cuts at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport 〞 once a thriving midcontinental hub for Trans World Airlines.
By the end of November, St. Louis already was being scaled back to 82 daily flights to 20 destinations. St. Louis leaders expressed disappointment with Thursday's news that American was making even deeper cuts.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay called it a "bad business decision."
"By eliminating what was left of the St. Louis hub it took over from TWA, American will be walking away from more than 620,000 passengers a year," Slay said in his blog. "And they will walk away from approximately $108 million in system revenue."
Lambert Director Richard Hrabko said a major concern is that the move will eliminate nonstop service to a dozen U.S. cities from Lambert. St. Louis travelers looking for nonstop service already had seen their choices plummet from more than 100 cities reachable by nonstop flights to about 70.
There will no longer be nonstop air service between St. Louis and the following cities: Austin, Texas; Nashville; Indianapolis; Wichita, Kan.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Madison, Wis.; Norfolk, Va.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Richmond, Va.; San Antonio, Texas; San Francisco; and Des Moines, Iowa. RELATED LINKSGet more business news, blogs and opinion
"If you look at this history since 2003, it has been a steady downturn," Hrabko said. "They have continued to cut consistently down to this ultimate cut, which I consider to be the ultimate cut."
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