Hundreds of flights canceled due to staffing, weather issues

BOSTON -  At least 744 flights were canceled across the United States on Monday afternoon, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, which showed dozens more cancellations and delays at Boston's Logan Airport.

Delta Air Lines alone canceled at least 214 flights nationwide Monday, or 7% of its operations, while United Airlines canceled 122 flights and American Airlines nixed 62. That followed another chaotic travel weekend, with more than 1,500 domestic flights canceled Saturday and Sunday.

"Delta teams continue to safely manage through compounding factors affecting our operation this weekend, including higher-than-planned unscheduled absences in some of our work groups, weather, and air traffic control constraints," a Delta Air Lines spokesperson said Sunday. "Canceling a flight is always our last resort, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for any disruption to their travel plans."

It's going to be a summer of travel hell, experts warn. Though airlines received $54 billion in federal assistance during Covid's peak to avoid involuntary layoffs, they now have fewer employees than before the pandemic — especially pilots — after offering buyouts and early retirement packages to trim staff and save money. As a result, operations can quickly fall apart when there's bad weather, understaffed air traffic control centers or sick staff.  

Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and the New York City area's Newark Liberty International were most impacted by Monday's cancellations, with Newark alone accounting for more than 100 canceled flights.

In Boston, there were 335 delays and 61 total cancellations affecting Logan on Sunday, according to FlightAware. As of Monday afternoon, there were 223 delays and 56 total cancellations for Boston. 

"More than any time in our history, the various factors currently impacting our operation — weather and air traffic control, vendor staffing, increased Covid case rates contributing to higher-than-planned unscheduled absences in some work groups — are resulting in an operation that isn't consistently up to the standards Delta has set for the industry in recent years," said Delta Chief Customer Experience Officer Allison Ausband in an online post.

But critics say airlines should have anticipated these issues ahead of the summer travel season.

"When you stress-test the airline operation model, that's when you see the same results," Capt. Dennis Tajer, spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, the pilots union at American Airlines, said earlier this month.

With flights already booked to capacity, "one flight being canceled doesn't just cause a cascading effect, it causes a tidal wave of problems. It's déjà vu all over again," Tajer added, referencing the chaotic holiday travel season late last year.