As American Airlines Pilots Turn Down Holiday Bonus Pay, Some Travel Experts Warn of Possible Holiday Impacts – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
With more people planning to take family vacations this year than the year before, vacation travel is expected to approach pre-pandemic levels.
AAA estimated 4.2 million Americans will be flying this Thanksgiving.
And despite a year of travel disruptions as demand picks up and airlines grapple with staffing shortages, analysts at Scott’s low-cost flight product operations specialist Willis Orlando expected a smooth holiday season.
“We thought the Halloween crisis was a special spur for airlines to line up their ducks before the busy holiday season,” Orlando said.
That was before the American Airlines Pilots Union rejected the vacation pay increase.
“This recent dispute with the pilots union is a potential obstacle to the holidays. If there are not enough pilots on reserve and we see a weather-related delay that is very common during the holidays, we may find ourselves in a situation where it does again need to make major cancellations, ”Orlando said.
The airline offered them packages similar to those accepted by flight attendants and other employee groups to encourage work during the busy holiday season.
Instead, the Allied Pilots Association said it was waiting for a more permanent solution to tight planning that tires pilots, has too many flying hours, or can’t turn in bad weather.
“You have a hole in the roof. You can’t just stuff dollar bills into it. You have to fix the roof. We have been saying for months that there is a problem with planning practice and it has been shown. Every time the weather comes through on American, be it in Dallas or elsewhere, it takes days and days to recover. You can’t connect the pilots to the plane, ”said Allied Pilots Association spokesman Dennis Tajer.
CNBC airline reporter Leslie Josephs said it was too early to know how the lack of a deal could affect vacation flights.
“We haven’t seen an impact yet. What is clear is that Americans in no way want a repeat of what happened over Halloween,” said Josephs.
Still, Orlando said American’s competitors are hoping to capitalize on DFW competitively.
He gave this advice to those who have already booked to get out of town for the holidays.
“Be proactive. Be vigilant. Be prepared. This means checking your status regularly in advance. Make sure you keep track of things. You’d rather find out two or three days in advance that your flight is changed, delayed, or changed.” removed from the comfort of your home as one of those who shows up at the airport with a nasty surprise, ”said Orlando.
He also recalled that airlines have an obligation to reimburse their passengers for any significant delay or cancellation of a flight.
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