American Airlines Cancels Over 1,700 Flights During Weekend Due to "Staff Shortages"

COVID-19 Leave Employees to Return Next Month
Concerns Over Confusion if US Lifts Entry Restrictions for Vaccinated Individuals

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] American Airlines, a U.S. carrier, has canceled more than 1,700 flights over the weekend due to a labor shortage, causing a surge in customer complaints. The chaos is expected to continue until next month when all employees who were on leave during the COVID-19 pandemic return, and concerns are growing that the situation will worsen once U.S. entry restrictions for vaccinated travelers are lifted starting from the 8th of this month.

According to CNBC on the 31st (local time), American Airlines canceled 820 flights that day, accounting for about 30% of the total flight schedule, CNBC reported. Previously, 543 flights were canceled on the 30th and 340 on the 29th, totaling 1,705 flight cancellations over the weekend.

The main cause of the mass cancellations is reported to be the labor shortage. According to American Airlines, about 1,800 employees who were on leave during the COVID-19 pandemic are scheduled to return by early next month, and newly hired staff are expected to complete training and be deployed only by the end of next month, resulting in the current shortage of personnel.

Adding to the problem, strong winds at Dallas Fort Worth Airport, a major U.S. hub, caused numerous flight cancellations, preventing crew members from moving to their next assignments, which CNBC cited as another cause of the chain of cancellations.

In a statement released that day, American Airlines explained, "The widespread impact of severe weather is causing crew members to deviate from their usual flight sequences, making crew scheduling extremely difficult," and added, "The abnormal operations will be resolved soon."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.