Some of the nation's largest airlines are cutting back their Sept. 11 flight schedules, bowing to Americans' reluctance to fly on the anniversary of the attack. Airlines cut flights
scheduled for 9/11Traveler unease over another
terrorist strike slows reservationsStar-Bulletin staff and news reports
American and United, the two biggest carriers, are making unspecified reductions for that day based on weak bookings. No. 3 Delta is trimming flights for the entire work week of Sept. 9-13.
Unease about another terrorist strike is behind the decline in bookings, but so are patriotism and remembrance, according to interviews with consumers, travel agents and industry experts.
Flights from the mainland to Hawaii, though, are not scheduled to be reduced.
Some discount fares are available, but two of the carriers, Continental Airlines and United Airlines, said they have made no schedule cuts on Hawaii routes because of the Sept. 11 anniversary.
United's plans actually call for a busier Hawaii schedule than was normal before Sept. 11 last year, despite some normal seasonal cutbacks, said Thomas Renville, United's managing director for Hawaii.
The two Hawaii-based airlines that fly between the mainland and the islands as well as interisland have cut some fares.
Aloha Airlines announced discount fares last week for travel through September to the West Coast and Vancouver, Canada, apparently in anticipation of slow travel.
Hawaiian Airlines said it has also put in place some West Coast discounts, not in response to Aloha's move, but matching what major carriers are doing.
September traditionally has been a slow travel period for airlines.
Isle hotels predict a slow September, but not necessarily because of the anniversary.
"All of September is looking soft," said Keith Vieira, senior vice president and director of Hawaii operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. Previously, occupancy had been recovering this year from the lows that followed last Sept. 11, he said.
It is not clear if the weakness is linked to the anniversary of the terrorist attacks, Vieira said.
"September is a very soft month as opposed to other months throughout the summer," he said.
Perry Sorenson, chief operating officer of Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, said it is hard to say exactly what Sept. 11 will look like for Outrigger because last-minute travel is becoming more common. Travel for September could be booked in September, making it hard to predict occupancy beyond a few weeks.
"It doesn't look great, but I can't tell you what actually might happen," Sorenson said. "My crystal ball is just really cloudy."
That said, the booking pace did slow down beginning in July after a recovery in the second quarter, Sorenson said.
Some travelers said the infamous date just does not seem right for scheduling business or pleasure trips.
"To me that's a national holiday now," Donnie Rose, a 49-year-old policeman from Cambridge, Ohio, said at the airport in Columbus. A frequent flier, he will avoid the skies that day.
None of the airlines cutting flights would say how many will be canceled or on which routes.
"We have made a small adjustment in our schedule downward just for Sept. 11 because of anticipated lower demand," said United spokesman Joe Hopkins. "But we'll still be operating the bulk of our schedule," including all international flights.
American, the No. 1 carrier, expects to cancel a smaller number of flights on Sept. 10 and 12 because bookings are lagging. Delta Air Lines cut back for the longest period, Sept. 9-13, citing weak bookings.
Northwest declined to comment, and Continental Airlines has not decided whether to scale back on Sept. 11.
Star-Bulletin reporters Russ Lynch and Tim Ruel contributed to this report.