American Airlines Cancels Over 1,700 Flights Throughout the Weekend
Nov 1, 2021 By MarketDepth
American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) was forced to cancel over 1,700 flights this past weekend due to high winds as well as staffing issues, according to the carrier. The disruption is one of the many mass cancellations that travelers have experienced lately, as travel demand continues to rise.
“Most of the customers being impacted by these changes are being rebooked the same day. We apologize for having to make these changes.”
Chief Operating Officer, David Seymour
According to internal tallies, pilot and flight attendant shortages were confirmed as reasons for the majority of the canceled flights both Saturday and Sunday.
Crew Out of Regular Flight Duties
“With additional weather throughout the system, our staffing begins to run tight as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequences,” Seymour wrote. He continued on to say that most customers were rebooked the same day and that he believes everything will stabilize in November.
Airlines Having Issues Finding Staff
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, airlines initially pushed employees to accept voluntary buyouts or take leaves of absence as a means of cutting their payroll expenses. Nevertheless, as the economy begins to recover, the industry is now struggling to staff up once again. Carriers are looking to hire pilots, flight attendants, ramp and customer service workers.
Hiring For All Positions
Seymour revealed that 1,800 flight attendants would be back from leave on November 1 and more would be joining by December. Furthermore, the airline said it is hiring pilots, mechanics, airports workers and reservations agents “so more team members will be in place for the holiday season.”
