American Airlines temporarily suspends flights from New York to Cancun

Share the article

last update 3 hours ago

American Airlines is beginning to slow its rapid growth in the United States, with recent flights to Cancun suspended as the airline reviews its routes and service.

Flight interruption to Cancun

According to Aeroroutes, American Airlines has announced that it will suspend its once-daily Boeing 737 MAX 8 service from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport to Cancun International Airport in anticipation of the peak fall holiday season.

American Airlines plane at Cancun airport

Flights will be suspended from September 4th, with a resumption currently planned for November 4th.

There are no flights between New York’s JFK airport and Cancun during the months of September and October.

The airline also announced that it would suspend a flight between Los Angeles International Airport and Mexico City during the same period. This flight was operated with a 737-800 aircraft.

Tourists use the kiosks at Cancun International Airport

American Airlines confirmed the flight suspensions with the following media statement.

“As part of our evaluation of our 2024 capacity growth plans, American has made seasonal adjustments to service on LAX-MEX and JFK-CUN in September and October. We are making this adjustment now to ensure we can rebook customers on affected flights and apologize for any inconvenience our customers may experience during their travel.”

Cancun is slowing down

Colorful Cancun sign in front of Cancun City Hall

While American Airlines attributes the flight suspensions to seasonal adjustments, Cancun’s astonishing passenger growth is actually beginning to level off and even slow down somewhat.

The latest passenger figures from Cancún International Airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, SAB de CV, showed a negative passenger rate for both domestic and international travelers for the month of May compared to the previous year.

In May, the number of domestic air travelers from Mexico to Cancun fell by almost 15 percent compared to the previous year, to about 878,000 passengers, instead of over a million in 2023.

An American Airlines plane at an airport

Meanwhile, Cancún International Airport counted 1.561 million international travelers in May 2024, compared to 1.597 in May 2023, a slight decrease of 2.3 percent.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 9.77 million international travelers have used Cancún International Airport, which still represents an increase of 4.8 percent over the previous year.

Challenges for the aviation industry

American Airlines planes park on a runway in Cancun

New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport will continue to have numerous flight routes to Cancun even after American Airlines discontinues flights.

The route is served by Delta Airlines and Jet Blue. Several other Mexican airlines also fly to other airports in the country.

The aerospace industry in the United States is currently facing a number of challenges, including a weaker domestic economy, order backlogs and safety issues at Boeing, and a recall of Pratt & Whitney engines.

It would not be surprising if airlines canceled more routes, particularly to Cancún International Airport, given the numerous flight announcements made at the end of last year and the beginning of this year.

What travelers need to know

Tourists planning a vacation later in the year should prepare in advance for possible reductions or suspensions of flight routes as the airline industry attempts to balance supply and demand for flights for travelers to Cancun.

Tourists wait at Cancun airport for their pick-up

Visitors must be flexible and prepared for possible flight cancellations and adjustments for the upcoming peak travel season in Cancun in the fall and winter.

Pay attention to emails and communications from the airlines and have another plan ready to enjoy a getaway of sun, sand and surf in Cancun despite the route changes that the airlines have to make in their upcoming flight schedules.

Visitors should also learn about the new rights they have when traveling by air under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s recently issued “Guide to Air Travel Consumer Rights.”