On Monday, American Airlines’ cancelation rate slowed down after canceling almost 2,000 flights over the weekend. According to the airline, it is already preparing for the busy holiday season in the coming weeks.
Cancelation Rate Improved
American Airlines had a tough Halloween weekend. American Airlines blamed strong winds that lasted for two days at its Dallas-Fort Worth hub. The weather condition trimmed the arrivals by more than half, preventing American Airlines staff from reaching their assigned flights.
Sunday was the worst day for American Airlines during the weekend. Sunday alone had 1,060 flight cancelations. That was equivalent to more than 20% of American Airlines’ total flights for the day. On Monday, the cancelation rate slowed down as the airline only reported 391 canceled flights or 7% of its scheduled flights.
On Monday, American began seeing larger staffing levels. According to American Airlines COO David Seymour, “for flight attendants, we have nearly 1,800 returning from leave starting Nov. 1—and the remainder coming back by Dec. 1”.
He added that the carrier is also expecting “600-plus new hire flight attendants on property by end of December”. Apart from flight attendants, the carrier is also adding airport staff. Seymour said that “we anticipate 4,000 new team members joining us”.
For passengers flying on Tuesday, American Airlines appears to have close to normal operations with just 28 canceled flights. That’s equivalent to 1% of the trips scheduled.
Beyond Monthly Maximum
The union representing American Airlines’ flight attendants noticed an “alarming number” of cabin crew assignments that go beyond the monthly maximum. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants said in a note on Saturday that “The fact that there is inadequate staffing to cover the operation as it is currently structured is not the fault of Flight Attendants”.
Airlines suffered from staffing shortages when domestic travel demand bounced back. To stay afloat during the start of the pandemic, airlines had to ask their employees to take leaves and early retirement packages.
