American Airlines has been experiencing some operational difficulties these past few days. I want to share my thoughts and offer some tips for anyone who is flying with them.American cancels and delays 1,700+ flightsAmerican Airlines' largest hub is Dallas-Forth Worth (DFW). Yesterday, the airport was hit hard by severe storms. Many flights were delayed, cancelled, or diverted as a result. Here's some FlightAware data to give you an idea of the impact on operations.Sunday, August 1, 2021 (yesterday): 283 flights were cancelled (9% of schedule) and 941 were delayed (30% schedule).Today, Monday August 2, 2021, 261 flights were cancelled (8% of the scheduled flight schedule) and 219 flights were delayed (7% of schedule).It's still early in day so I would expect things to get worse throughout the day. I'd be surprised if there were hundreds of cancellations and/or delays.It's been a difficult 24 hours at DFWWhat is the reason for American cancellations & delays?These issues are caused by the severe storm that struck Texas yesterday. Because of the complexity of airline operations bad weather can have huge impacts on an entire carrier's system. If you're flying from Miami to New York, your plane could have been delayed or diverted to Dallas.There is a bigger problem: American Airlines schedule is being stretched to its limits. We saw airlines reduce their workforce during the pandemic, and airlines are now experiencing a rapid rise in summer travel demand. This new demand has meant that airlines have not been able hire enough people to meet it. There is also a shortage in contractors.When things are going well, airlines usually have enough staff to handle their operations. But it's a different story when they go down. American Airlines, for example, has very few flight attendants and reserve pilots. Airlines often have to find replacement crews for flights that are delayed or cancelled due to crews running out of hours. These crews are not available at the moment.It's not only a matter of whether there is a plane available for your flight but also whether there are crew members available to take over your flight. This will result in a lot of problems, including a lack of crews and planes not where they should be.These storms had significant knock-on effectsDo you have a right to claim compensation for delays in America?What rights do you have if your American Airlines flight is delayed or canceled? Here are some thoughts:American Airlines will likely claim that all cancellations and delays caused by this mess were due to weather and will therefore try to avoid accountabilityAirlines are not required to pay customers cash compensation even if they can cancel or delay their flight. However, they are allowed to offer meal and hotel vouchers to compensate for any delays that are within their control. The challenge is convincing American that this is possible.You can only hope that your credit card has good travel delay coverage. This could reimburse you for any out-of-pocket expenses.Do not expect Americans to pay for your hotel.How can you reach an American agent?I keep seeing photos of insanely long lines at airport customer service counters. It's not surprising that American doesn't have the staff to provide customer service. American's online rebooking options are not as good as those offered by Delta or United.You should contact @AmericanAir via Twitter for assistance, even though they might be overwhelmed right now. If you are unable to reach someone via Twitter, the best solution is to call them. Problem is, if you call American Airlines General Reservations phone number, the hold time could be several hours.Calling American Airlines' foreign call centers is the best way to go, as they have much shorter hold times. You can make this very cheap by using Skype or Google Voice. I've had success getting through to Australia's call center (open 24/7).It is best to contact American via phoneBottom lineAmerican Airlines has been experiencing serious operational problems yesterday and today. I expect they will continue. Yesterday's storm at DFW caused the problems, but the consequences have been severe. It is difficult to schedule aircraft, and even more challenging is finding enough flight attendants and pilots who can actually work the flights.Are you a passenger of American Airlines? What's the experience like on American Airlines?
