While it’s true that U.S. airlines have been cutting schedules in recent months, certain routes have seen an uptick in service, which often results in better fares. Here’s a look at the U.S. routes with the greatest increases and biggest decreases in departures during the past year.
Top five routes with increased departures*
New York JFK–Charlotte: up 57.3%
New York JFK–Washington Reagan: up 40.6%
New York JFK–Washingon Dulles: up 22.7%
Denver–San Francisco: up 22.5% Minneapolis Seattle: up 20.6%
Top five routes with decreased departures
Washingon Dulles–Houston: down 65.4%
New York La Guardia–Cincinnati: down 46.5%
New York La Guardia–Charlotte: down 42.7%
Cleveland–Washington Dulles: down 39.9%
Detroit–Cleveland: down 38.6%
*Figures reflect the average percentage change in departures from March 2008 to February 2009 among routes with more than 20 weekly departing flights in the continental U.S. Source: O.A.G.
