American Airlines said Monday it cancelled more than 100 flights over the weekend and would trim additional trips next month, with the industry facing surging demand and labor shortages as the nation begins to emerge from the pandemic.

The carrier cut 150 flights on Saturday, including 90 in advance. It also expects to remove about one percent of its scheduled flights from the July schedule.

An "incredibly quick ramp-up of customer demand" has been further complicated by bad weather at large hubs, an American spokeswoman said in an email.

American Airlines trimmed its schedule at grapples with the challenges of a sudden surge in airline travel
American Airlines trimmed its schedule at grapples with the challenges of a sudden surge in airline travel AFP / CHANDAN KHANNA

The airline is "adjusting a fraction of our scheduled flying through mid-July" in light of these issues and labor shortages at some of its vendors, the spokeswoman said.

The aim is "to build in additional resilience and certainty to our operation," she said.

The moves come as activity is quickly returning to US airports as more of the country reopens with Covid-19 vaccinations now widespread.

Since June 11, more than two million people per day have traveled in US airports on several days, a level not seen since March 2020.

Coronavirus