Staff Shortages Force American Airlines to Cancel Hundreds of Flights

American Airlines was forced to cancel nearly a thousand flights since Friday due to staff shortages caused by disruptions related to severe weather conditions. According to FlightAware, which tracks delays and cancellations in the U.S. airspace, American Airlines canceled over 800 flights on Friday and Saturday and is expected to cancel more than 400 flights on Sunday. David Seymour, the general manager of American Airlines, stated in a note to employees on Saturday that the difficulties began on Thursday with severe wind storms that hindered the company's operations in Dallas and affected employee movement. Most affected travelers were able to secure another booking, as confirmed by the airline, which operates 6,700 daily flights worldwide to 350 destinations in 50 countries. American Airlines is not the first airline to experience staff shortages since travel demand surged following COVID vaccination campaigns and the lifting of virus containment measures. Last week, Southwest was forced to cancel more than 2,000 flights, costing the airline $75 million.