Several American and Canadian carriers have reduced their late summer and fall schedules to the Hawaiian island of Maui due to the devastating wildfires that have raged for nearly two weeks. More than 100 people have died in almost two weeks, and more than 1,000 remain missing.

Devastating effects of natural disasters

Wildfires are not typical on the island of Maui, at least not as severe as the ones that destroyed the entire town of Lahaina, took the lives of more than 100 people, and destroyed several thousand structures like homes and businesses. As of yesterday, four fires were still burning on Maui, all more than 85% contained, none larger than 2,500 acres.

Since the fires started burning, several airlines have canceled flights and ramped up assistance in relief efforts. United flew planes to Maui without passengers and full of cargo in order to evacuate residents on the return trip, American Airlines up gauged several flights, and Hawaiian Airlines increased interisland flights to assist with evacuations, to name a few examples. In today’s Cirium report showing recent changes, several airlines have reduced flights in upcoming months.

United Airlines made the most significant cuts, eliminating more than 140 flights from its September and October schedules. On the Denver - Kahului route, United began its changes last week. The Chicago-based airline cut the Denver route on Saturday and only plans to resume service on October 29. Previously, United planned to fly daily in October, with two flights once a week.

In September, United also cut service from Chicago O’Hare International Airport altogether, slashed its Los Angeles - Kahului route in half, and eliminated five frequencies on the San Francisco route. In total, 146 flights were cut, wiping 37,810 seats next month.

Changes from American Airlines and WestJet

American Airlines also made significant alterations to its flights to Maui. In September, the Texas-based carrier removed 50 flights and almost 10,000 seats. The only route affected is American’s nonstop from Los Angeles International Airport to Kahului. In October, American cut its LAX-OGG route in half, removing 31 flights in each direction and more than 13,000 seats. The Dallas/Fort Worth - Kahului route was reduced by just one frequency. An aircraft swap on some days from a Boeing 787-9 to a 787-8 led to a reduction of more than 3,000 seats.

Photo: American Airlines

WestJet made a few cuts in September, reducing its Vancouver - Kahului route. As of last week, WestJet had one daily flight planned in each direction but has since reduced to just 18 flights in each direction, resulting in a reduction of 4,176 seats.