American Airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights over Halloween weekend.American Airlines
Key Takeaways:
Airlines drastically reduced their pilot workforce through early retirements, furloughs, and leaves during the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate significant financial losses.
A rapid post-vaccine surge in passenger demand collided with this reduced pilot staff, which also faced strict FAA duty hour regulations and a shortage of available reserve pilots.
This "perfect storm" means that even minor irregular operations, like bad weather, quickly exhaust limited pilot resources, leading to widespread flight cancellations, which are slow to resolve due to the lengthy pilot training process.
We’re taking a break from personal finance this week to address the economics of why airlines are cancelling so many flights lately.
American Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights this weekend owing to what the company defined as staffing issues. They’re not the only ones with problems; Southwest recently cancelled even more flights.
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Jason Depew flies as a captain for a major U.S. airline. He is also an Air Force reservist and has flown more than 300 combat missions over Afghanistan and other garden spots. Based in Tampa, Florida, he instructs in the Icon A5 and anything else he can get his hands on. His writing is focused on personal finance for pilots with the goal to help all types of aviators enjoy great careers, sometimes in spite of themselves. You can send Jason questions at editorial@flying.media.
