American Airlines cancels another 250 flights

American Airlines canceled another 250 flights on Monday, continuing a weeklong span of flight cancellations due to staffing shortages and bad weather at its hub airports, CNN reported.

The airline said it canceled 1,058 flights on Sunday, which doubled the number of cancellations on Friday and Saturday. 

About 10 percent of its mainline flights have been canceled over the four-day period, stranding tens of thousands of passengers. 

American Airlines COO David Seymour said in a company memo that it canceled flights to provide schedule certainty for crew members after bad weather in major cities have left crews out of position, according to CNN. 

The airline also said that 1,800 flight attendants are returning to work following time off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CNN noted. 

Many airlines are scrambling to hire new employees and retain former staff as after the pandemic halted air travel last year. Companies offered staff buyouts, early retirement packages, and unpaid leave to cut costs amid the pandemic downturn. 

Rival Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights three weeks ago due to weather and air traffic control issues, which cost the airline some $75 million, CNN reported. 

Capt. Dennis Tiller, spokesperson for the American Airlines pilot union, said last month his union is concerned with the airline’s management of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays surge periods. 

“We want that flying to get done, but we don’t want tickets sold that can’t be fulfilled,” Tiller said.  “Are they biting off more they can they chew?”