Canceled Flights Increase For American Airlines
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Paint may be peeling from an engine. One source said that a coffee pot was not working properly. Whatever the reason, dozens of American Airlines flights were canceled across the country on Monday, and flight tracking websites showed more than half of the arrivals were delayed.
While saying that it could not speculate beyond what it called an 'aircraft availability challenge,' American Airlines said that it would reduce its flight schedule by as much as two percent through October. In part, the airline said, the change is due to an increase in pilot sick levels and an increase in maintenance reports filed by flight crews.
Flight schedule monitors at DFW International Airport on Monday showed cancellations to Washington, Charlotte and New Orleans. Several other flights showed delays, on a night where no major weather events other than rain were affecting travel in North Texas or across the United States.
Some travelers were coming into the baggage area a full day later than expected. The Johnson family said that their two-hour delay in Kansas City on Sunday turned into a full cancellation. "He had to miss work, I had to miss work, it was awesome," said Libby Johnson, tongue-in-cheek. Their 5-year-old and 3-year-old sons were trudging along with them after missing school for the day. The family said that they eventually flew standby and were lucky to get on the same flight. "They didn't book us together. He was with the boys and they booked me, separately, 24 hours later."
The delays come just days after American Airlines implemented new work rules for pilots, including longer hours, frozen pensions and no increased pay for flying to international destinations. Both American Airlines and the Allied Pilots Association said Monday that they had no knowledge of an organized work slow-down. An APA spokesman did say, however, that there are 8,000 very unhappy pilots.
Airline analyst Denny Kelly, a former pilot, said that, as a result, pilots are likely no longer looking past minor maintenance issues. They are things that would not be a danger to fly with, but are technically part of the flight checklist. "It's all done within rules, and that's all they have to do," Kelly said.
Kelly pulled out a two-inch thick book of rules covering commercial flying in his home office on Monday. It was likely that there was some violation in there that could be found on nearly every commercial flight, he said. And because of that, he said, he already avoided flying American Airlines for a business meeting on Monday, afraid that the flight would not make it on time. "Pilots you can't control, because when they leave that gate, they're in command of that airplane and can do whatever legal they can do," he said.
American Airlines said Monday that it hopes the schedule adjustments it was making would minimize impacts for travelers.
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