DALLAS (AP), American Airlines cancelled more than 1,600 flights in the last three days due to bad weather conditions in Texas and a shortage on flight attendants.
These disruptions were very similar to the ones suffered by Southwest Airlines in October.
American had cancelled more than 800 flights by Sunday afternoon, almost 30% of its day's schedule, after having scrapped nearly 900 flights Friday and Saturday, according FlightAware.
American's problems began late in the week when high winds caused flight cancellations and prevented American from using all runways at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. American had to make it difficult for crews to be ready for the next flight, which made cancellations and delays worse on Saturday and Sunday.
"To ensure we are taking care our customers and providing scheduling certainty to our crews," David Seymour (chief operating officer of the airline) stated in a note to employees.
Seymour stated that American was able put most of the stranded passengers on another flight the same day.
American spokeswoman said that the airline expected significant improvement starting Monday but there would be some residual impacts from the weekend. According to FlightAware, American had cancelled nearly 50 Monday flights by Sunday afternoon.
Southwest cancelled well over 2000 flights earlier in October due to disruptions in Florida's weather, which were exacerbated by staff shortages.
As a condition for billions of dollars in federal pandemic relief, airlines were prohibited from laying off employees during the pandemic. 19,000 Americans were temporarily furloughed when the money ran out last year. However, they reversed their decision once aid was restored. However, this didn't stop airlines from offering cash incentives to employees and allowing them to quit their jobs.
American Airlines, Southwest, and other companies are currently looking for employees to replace those who have left the company in 2020. Seymour stated that American is increasing its staffing, with almost 1,800 flight attendants returning on Monday, others on Dec. 1, as well as at least 600 new hires by the end the year. Seymour said that the airline will be hiring more pilots and reservation agents to help with the holiday season.
