American dropped more than one third of their schedule on Sunday - over 1,000 flights, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service.
Internal airline figures showed approximately two-thirds of Sunday’s cancellations were because of the lack of flight attendants, but the rest of the cancellations were due to pilot shortages, the Associated Press reported.
Many flight attendants said they reached their maximum allowed hours for October in the last days of the month, leaving flights without adequate cabin crews.
During the height of the pandemic, American, like many other airlines, suggested airline workers quit and receive unemployment employment benefits. Yet, air travel resumed this year faster than expected, leaving airline corporations short-staffed.
“Flight attendant staffing at American remains strained and reflects what is happening across the industry as we continue to deal with pandemic-related issues,” said Paul Hartshorn Jr., a spokesman for the union representing American’s flight attendants.
Other domestic airlines are struggling to get off the ground post-pandemic due to various reasons with the most controversial being corporate decisions over vaccine mandates.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
American’s troubles started Thursday and Friday, when high winds reduced flights at its busiest hub, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). American was unable to get pilots and flight attendants in position for upcoming flights, leading to about 1,900 cancellations nationwide from Friday through Sunday, according to FlightAware.
David Seymour, the airline’s chief operating officer, said over the weekend that help was on the way. He said about 1,800 flight attendants are coming back from leave starting Monday, and more are being hired by year-end. The airline is also hiring pilots and reservations agents, he said.
American continued to blame cancellations on last week’s weather long after the howling winds subsided in Texas, and that didn’t sit well with some longtime customers.
“The whole weather thing irritates me because that’s how they get out of financial responsibility. I feel sorry for the folks who are stuck someplace and (American) won’t give them a hotel voucher,” said Craig Beam, who works in real estate for health care companies. “It’s clear to me they have got staffing issues.”
Beam’s first flight Sunday from his home in Southern California to a business conference in Dallas was canceled. His rebooked flight finally arrived at DFW Airport at midnight Sunday night.
