American Airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights over Halloween weekend.American Airlines
Key Takeaways:
Airlines drastically reduced pilot staff and capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic to survive economic downturns, resulting in fewer available and qualified pilots.
A rapid post-vaccine rebound in passenger demand has collided with this reduced pilot workforce, which is expensive to expand and subject to strict flight hour regulations.
This creates a severe shortage of reserve pilots, making airlines highly vulnerable to widespread flight cancellations caused by even minor disruptions, a problem that will take over a year to fully address due to lengthy pilot training processes.
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.
