by Harry Wilmerding
American Airlines canceled 340 flights on Monday after cutting almost 2,000 flights during the weekend due to staffing shortages and weather delays, multiple sources reported.
The airline cut 343 flights Friday, 548 Saturday, and over 1,000 Sunday, according to American Airlines data obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The company canceled 2,291 flights as of Monday morning, representing over 10% of its schedule.
Just landed at LAX…the line for American Airlines customer assistance pretty much goes as far as the eye can see through the terminal. Mass cancellations of flights today. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/mtebgML9Bv
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) October 31, 2021
American Airlines Chief Operating Officer Davis Seymour blamed inclement weather and staffing shortages around the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport for the delays and cancelations.
“With additional weather throughout the system, our staffing begins to run tight as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequences,” Seymour said in a statement shared with the DCNF. He added that most customers were able to rebook flights on the same day, and operations would normalize by November.
“To make sure we are taking care of our customers and providing scheduling certainty for our crews, we have adjusted our operations for the last few days this month by proactively canceling some flights,” the company said in a statement.
Other airlines have also cut massive amounts of flights.
Southwest Airlines cut over 2,000 flights earlier in October, costing the company roughly $75 million. The cancelations were first attributed to inclement weather and air traffic control issues, but the company later admitted they experienced labor shortages.
– – –
Harry Wilmerding is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.