American Airlines Group Inc. on Friday scaled back its plans to add seats in the United States, Reuters reported.

That’s potentially bad news for Des Moines International Airport, which steadily tries to add flights to improve service for both business and leisure travel.

As of the end of June, American ranked third in the number passengers by airline at the Des Moines airport for this year, behind Delta Air Lines Inc. and United Airlines. The airline made news recently when it ended curbside baggage service. American was the last airline to provide that option to Des Moines passengers.

American had carried 223,082 Des Moines passengers through June, up 6.6 percent for the year. That growth was second only to United Airlines, which was up 7 percent.

Kevin Foley, the airport’s executive director and general manager, has been courting American to offer more flights in Des Moines, including proposed nonstop service to Los Angeles.

At the same time, Foley has noted that most airlines don’t plan to add more planes until at least next year, and then they are likely to go to larger models. That in turn could reduce the number of flights offered in Des Moines, even as Foley tries to increase them.

At the same time, the airport is working on plans for a $420 million project that would include a new terminal and more gates. That project will only happen if the airport expects growth of 3 percent or so a year.

June’s overall passenger growth was 1.2 percent, down from 1.5 percent in May. The passenger count rose 5.4 percent in 2014, setting a record.

American, the world’s largest passenger carrier, said it expects total 2015 capacity to grow about 1 percent compared with 2014, Reuters reported. The original plan was for 2 percent growth.

While its international expansion forecast remains unchanged, American reported that its U.S. capacity will grow between 1 and 2 percent this year. The airline had expected 2 to 3 percent growth at one point.

American did not offer an explanation for the change. It recently deferred the delivery of 35 Airbus Group jets.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether U.S. airlines have worked together illegally to keep airfares high by signaling plans to limit flights, Reuters reported.

   Here’s a Business Record article about Foley’s recruiting efforts.