Due to Staff Shortages... American Airlines Cancels Numerous Flights

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The flight cancellation crisis at American Airlines, triggered by severe weather, is prolonging due to a concurrent labor shortage. Since the pandemic, the number of employees leaving the company has increased, and the airline has been unable to keep up with the recent surge in air travel demand.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the Associated Press (AP) on the 1st (local time), American Airlines canceled more than 350 flights as of that morning, accounting for nearly 10% of its total flights.

American Airlines continued the cancellation crisis on this day after canceling over 2,000 flights from Friday through Sunday. More than 136,000 customers have been affected.

American Airlines announced hiring plans ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of this month but is facing difficulties in recruitment. This is due to a sharp increase in employees leaving after the pandemic, citing concerns about infection and childcare.

David Seymour, American Airlines' Chief Operating Officer (COO), said, "About 1,800 flight attendants who had left the company returned today, and the remaining employees will rejoin on the 1st of next month." He added, "Separately, we will hire an additional 4,000 employees in the fourth quarter."

The crisis began on the 28th of last month at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in Texas, where American Airlines' headquarters are located, when strong winds delayed aircraft landings. This prevented flight attendants from moving to their next assignments, causing a chain reaction of cancellations.

Earlier, major U.S. airlines experienced consecutive cancellation crises. Spirit Airlines canceled 2,800 flights over ten days in August due to severe weather and labor shortages, resulting in a loss of $50 million (approximately 58.9 billion KRW). Southwest Airlines suffered a loss of $75 million (approximately 88.4 billion KRW) last month after canceling about 2,000 flights in early September.

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