American Airlines is ending services to 3 US cities amid a massive nationwide pilot shortage

• American Airlines is cutting routes to the cities of Islip and Ithaca in New York, and Toledo, Ohio.
• This is because of a shortage of regional pilots, a spokesperson said.

American Airlines is ending services to two cities in New York state and one in Ohio because of a shortage of pilots.

The carrier will cut routes to Islip, New York; Ithaca, New York; and Toledo, Ohio from September 7.

"In response to the regional pilot shortage affecting the airline industry, American Airlines has made the difficult decision to end service," an American Airlines spokesperson told Insider.

Earlier this month, American CEO Robert Isom said it had grounded about 100 regional jets because it couldn't find enough workers. The spokesperson said that American had reduced its regional flying in recent months because of the regional pilot shortage, adding that it may take "some time" before staffing levels return to normal.

Worst affected by the canceled routes will be Toledo. American is the only major airline that serves Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport, offering flights to its hub at Chicago O'Hare Airport.

Allegiant Air is the only other carrier offering flights to and from Toledo, with twice-weekly flights on routes to Phoenix, Arizona and three airports in Florida.

American is also scrapping its daily flights to its hub in Philadelphia from Ithaca Tompkins International Airport. Once this route is no longer available, the airport will be left with a vastly reduced schedule, only offering flights to Detroit with Delta and Newark with United.

The third route American is slashing is its daily operation from Long Island McArthur Airport in Islip to Philadelphia. The airport is also served by Southwest, Frontier Airlines, and Breeze Airways.

American's flights to and from Toledo are are operated by regional carriers Piedmont Airlines and Envoy Air, both of which are wholly-owned American subsidiaries, as American Eagle. The flights to and from Islip and Ithaca are operated by Piedmont Airlines as American Eagle.

"We're extremely grateful for the care and service our team members provided to our customers in Islip, Ithaca, and Toledo, and are working closely with them during this time," the American spokesperson said.

They added that American would contact passengers who had booked flights to or from those airports after September 7 to make alternative travel plans.

Airlines and airports are currently suffering from staffing shortages, leading to long lines for check-in and security, canceled flights, and angry passengers.

People are returning to the skies as demand for both leisure and business travel rebounds, but airlines have struggled to balance their staffing levels to meet changing demand amid waves of lockdowns, alternating between furloughs, layoffs, and hiring sprees.

The US Transportation Security Administration screened 2.38 million flight passengers on Sunday and has been screening a similar number of travelers each day throughout June, which is just below pre-pandemic levels.

Airlines including Delta, JetBlue, Alaska, Lufthansa, and British Airways have cut their summer schedules due to surging demand and staffing challenges. Tens of thousands of US flights — both domestic and international — were delayed or canceled over the Juneteenth and Father's Day weekend.

Earlier this month, Piedmont Airlines and Envoy Air reached a deal with the Air Line Pilots Association to almost double pilots' salaries.

Isom said on June 3 that American was hiring 2,000 pilots.