Poll: American Airlines’ decision to fill its flights to capacity is ….

American Airlines will resume booking flights to capacity on July 1, despite mounting rates of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in many U.S. states this past week.

Customers flying with American on crowded flights will be notified in advance by the company’s customer service department and given an opportunity to rebook on a less crowded flight without incurring any cost. That policy is similar to United Airlines, which is the only major U.S. carrier that did not cap loads in the cabin throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new policy will be most evident on American’s domestic flights, demand for which is coming back faster than international flights due to travel restrictions enacted in many countries. The carrier will operate 55% of its domestic schedule and 20% of its international schedule in July, compared to a year ago.

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