(AP Photo / Wilfredo Lee, File)
DALLAS (AP) – American Airlines has canceled more than 1,600 flights in the past three days, citing stormy conditions in Texas and a shortage of flight attendants.
Similar in origin and size to the problems Southwest Airlines suffered in early October, the disruptions raised ominous questions as to whether the major airlines are prepared for the busy vacation trip ahead.
By early Sunday afternoon, American canceled more than 800 flights – almost 30% of the daily schedule – after scrapping nearly 900 flights on Friday and Saturday, according to the FlightAware tracking service.
The Americans’ problems began late in the week when strong winds temporarily halted flights and prevented the airline from using all of the runways at its busiest hub, Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport. That made it difficult for American to get crews in position for upcoming flights, and the cancellations and delays got worse through Saturday and Sunday.
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“To ensure that we take care of our customers and provide planning security for our crews, we have adjusted our operations in the last few days of this month by proactively canceling some flights,” said David Seymour, chief operating officer of the airline, in one Note to the staff on Saturday.
Seymour said American was able to put most stranded travelers on other flights the same day.
An American spokeswoman said the airline expects a significant improvement as of Monday, although there will be “some residual impact from the weekend”. By Sunday noon, American had canceled nearly 50 Monday flights, according to FlightAware.
In early October, Southwest canceled well over 2,000 flights after disruptions that began with Florida weather problems and were exacerbated by staff shortages.
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Airlines were not allowed to lay off workers during the pandemic as a condition of billions in federal pandemic aid – Americans temporarily put 19,000 workers on leave when the money ran out last year, but reversed the leaves when aid was restored. However, that didn’t stop airlines from convincing thousands of employees to accept cash rewards and voluntarily quit. American, Southwest, and others are now hiring to replace some of those who left in 2020.
Seymour said American has added staff, nearly 1,800 flight attendants will be returning to their jobs on Monday and others on Dec. 1, and there will be at least 600 new employees on board by the end of the year. He said the airline is stepping up hiring for other jobs, including pilots and reservations agents, well in advance of the holidays.
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