American Airlines wants to prevent a Christmas nightmare by giving flight attendants huge bonuses if they arrive on time during the holiday travel season.
The Dallas Fort Worth-based airline was hit hard by mass flight cancellations on Halloween weekend. Executives are desperate to prevent another similar situation in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
If they show up on time to work between November 23rd and November 29 and December 22rd and January 2, 2022, flight attendants will earn 150 percent. If flight attendants are not sick from November 15 to January 2, 2022, their earnings could be increased by 300 percent.
Officially, AA's Halloween operational meltdown was caused in part by bad weather in Dallas. At first, it delayed flights. But then, the flight attendants and pilots lost their position and there wasn't enough reserve to take over.
Although it may have been a coincidence that the AA meltdown happened on a major holiday weekend, sickness rates spiked right at the moment when AA needed extra resilience.
The system gives flight attendants points for being sick, which can lead to disciplinary action. However, the system was recently reset in a gesture of appreciation for the hard work of staff members during the pandemic.
AA chose to reward crew members for working their holiday assignments, instead of using the points-based sick program to dissuade them.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), announced the bonus offer to its members Friday.
This airline was plagued with frequent problems, including cancellations, rescheduling, hotel room shortages and transportation issues. These disruptions can have a negative impact on our mental health, stress levels, and personal relationships.
The union representing more than 20,000 flight attendants said that it had reached an agreement with American Airlines to provide some relief for our Flight Attendants during this busy holiday season.
American Airlines will offer positive space on holiday flights for commuters, in addition to additional incentive pay.
Due to the lack of staff, the airline has had to provide positive space for commuters several times throughout the year. Currently, AA is trying to find new flight attendants. 600 more crew members are expected to be available by December.
1,800 flight attendants also returned to work after being on long-term pandemic leave.
