American adjusts schedules, training operations to accommodate demand

American Airlines is extending operation of its pilot training base in Charlotte, N.C., citing “the single largest increase in leisure travel the airline has ever seen” and related demand to train and retrain pilots. American plans to move all of its pilot training to Dallas/Fort Worth. Lori Cline, American’s managing director of flight training, explained that the uptick in leisure travel has led the carrier “to re-examine everything from our flight schedules to our pilot hiring and of course, the flight training needed to support it all.”