American Airlines is in meltdown
American has a rough weekend
American Airlines has cancelled over 1,500 flights in the last five days, according to published data. There is no end in sight for these operational problems. These are the cancellations we have seen from American Airlines in just three days.
American cancelled 340 flights on Friday, October 29, 2021
American cancelled 543 flights on Saturday, October 30, 2021
American cancelled 636 flights on Sunday, October 31, 2021
As of 8 AM ET, there were 636 cancellations for today. I expect it to get worse as the day goes on. To put it in perspective, 636 flights represent 23% of Americans' schedules for today. This does not account for the delays we are seeing.
American Airlines is not the best time to book a ticket due to these cancellations. It takes many hours to reach a reservation agent by phone. I have also heard of very long lines at American Airlines customer services desks at airports.
American Airlines cancels many flights
Why are so many American airlines being cancelled?
In recent months we have seen many airline meltdowns. The cause seems to be the same: something minor happens. And then, airline staffing problems exacerbate the problem.
Thursday was the first day of problems. There were strong winds at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, which is America's largest hub. The result was a large number of cancellations and delays.
Because of the complexity of airline operations weather can have major consequences for an entire carrier's system. Regular operations in the airline industry can cause chaos and make it difficult to reset. It could be that your plane wasn't supposed to arrive from Dallas and was delayed on your flight from Miami to New York.
There is a bigger problem: American Airlines schedule is being stretched to its limits. We saw airlines reduce their workforce during the pandemic, but now there is a rapid rise in travel demand. Even months later, airlines have not been able staff sufficient pilots and flight attendants to meet their needs.
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.
American, unlike Southwest, has been open about the reason for delays. Most cancellations since Friday were due to flight attendants and pilots being unavailable. The fact that it is the end of the month means that many employees have exhausted their flying hours only makes matters worse. It's a new month, so hopefully things will improve on Monday.
American does not have enough flight attendants and pilots
Bottom line
American Airlines has had a rough weekend. Today is their worst day operationally. American Airlines has cancelled 23% of its flights as of Sunday morning. I expect this to continue.
This problem began on Thursday when there was high wind in Dallas. Since then, there have not been enough flight attendants or pilots to operate all flights. It has created an operational mess.
Are any OMAAT readers affected by the American weekend issues?
