American Airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights over the Halloween weekend, blaming weather and staffing issues.
On Sunday, the airline canceled a total of 527 flights, or 19 percent of all flights planned for that day, accounting for nearly a third of all cancellations in the country, according to data from the flight-tracking website. FlightAware. And another 31 flights, or 1%, were delayed.
American canceled an additional 543 flights, or 20 percent of its total planned flights, on Saturday. The data shows that another 407 flights, or 15 per cent of its flights, have been postponed.
In a note to employees on Saturday, US Director of Operations David Seymour blamed the delay on poor weather conditions around Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the airline’s base of operations, which had displaced employees across the country, According to CNBC.
“With additional weather throughout the system, our crew starts to shrink as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequence,” Seymour said.
“To make sure we take care of our customers and provide confirmed scheduling for our crews, we have adjusted our operations in the last few days of this month by proactively canceling some flights,” American said.
After massive staff cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have announced that 1,800 flight attendants will return from vacation on November 1 in preparation for the holiday travel season, with more expected to return on December 1, according to CNBC.
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