United Airlines to cut flight schedule by 90%

United Airlines on Wednesday said that it has cut its flight schedule by 90% for the month of May and expects similar cuts for June as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The carrier said that travel demand is now essentially at zero showing no sign of improving in the near term. United disclosed its outlook in a memo to employees that it publicly released. The memo was from Chief Executive Oscar Munoz and President Scott Kirby.

United said it flew less than 200,000 people in the first two weeks of April, a 97% drop from the more than 6 million people it flew during the same time in 2019.

It expects to fly fewer people during the entire month of May than it did on a single day in May of last year, Munoz and Kirby said.

“The severe economic impact of this crisis means even when travel demand starts to inch back, it likely will not bounce back quickly,” they said.