American Airlines Cancels Almost 400 Flights Over Staff, Maintenance Issues
American Airlines canceled hundreds of flights scheduled over the weekend and Monday. The cancellations stemmed out from a high number of sick calls, as well as maintenance and significant staffing issues, according to a report from ABC News.
The more than 300 flights canceled by American Airlines were mostly from flight A320 and 737 aircraft, as the company struggled to keep up with the sudden uptick in flights from historic lows to pre-pandemic levels.
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American Airlines Cancels Hundreds of Flights Over the Weekend and Monday
The hundreds of flights that were canceled were the result of at least three days of scrapped flights. As of Sunday, ABC News reported that American Airlines canceled at least 178 flights, 123 flights on Saturday, and at least 97 flights for Monday. In total, the company scrapped at least 398 flights for three days.
ABC News mentioned a statement from American Airlines saying that their company targeted changes with the goal of "impacting the fewest number of customers by adjusting flights in markets," where they have more options for re-accommodations.
However, it was not the first time American Airlines canceled their flights for June, as the company's spokesperson, Sarah Jantz explained to Business Insider, the reason behind the cancellation of their flights in early June.
"The first weeks of June have brought unprecedented weather to our largest hubs, heavily impacting our operation and causing delays, canceled flights, and disruptions to crewmember schedules and our customer's plans," explained Jantz.
But the cancellation of American Airlines flights would still continue, as the company confirmed that they will cancel about 50 to 60 flights per day in the remainder of June. July would also witness cancellations of flights from the company with about 50 to 80 flights per day.
American Airlines highlighted that they would attempt to notify their customers "far in advance" of their flights. The company noted that they would provide their customers an opportunity to rebook alternative flights through their app.
The cancellations of American Airlines flights came as travel and vaccine rates gradually rise, and people became more comfortable in boarding planes. Business Insider noted that that the issue posed major staff shortages from major airlines, as thousands of employees from airline companies were offered early retirements and buyouts in early March last year.
Reason Behind Cancelled Flights
Apart from lack of staff and maintenance issues, airline companies like American Airlines have other factors to consider in canceling their flights.
Claim Compass noted that one of the major reasons for canceling the flights is COVID-19. Because of the disease, air traffic was drastically reduced and canceled many flights to curb and limit the spread of the virus.
Another reason for cancellations of flights is adverse weather conditions like blizzards, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Another common ground for flight cancellation is mechanical issues. Although alarming, these issues are rarely dangerous. Flights canceled due to mechanical issues are usually problems with fan blades or aircraft parking issues.
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WATCH: American Airlines Cancels Hundreds of Flights This Weekend Amid Weather, Labor Shortages - From WFAA