According to a recent update on Thursday, American Airlines has reduced the number of flights without assigned pilots in December to “a few hundred.” The carrier credits this decrease to their pilots who have volunteered to take on extra trips to ensure passengers are not affected. They also assure that no flights have been canceled for December and they are working to prioritize the needs of both pilots and customers.
However, the Allied Pilots Association (APA), the union representing American pilots, disagrees with this statement. They claim that there are still thousands of flights without assigned pilots, as they have real-time access to American’s December flight crew assignments. The union expresses concern for the potential disruption this may cause during the busy holiday season for passengers, pilots, and other employees.
American Airlines made headlines on Wednesday when the APA reported that a glitch in the pilot-scheduling system had resulted in thousands of holiday season flights being without assigned pilots. The airline is addressing this issue by utilizing reserve pilots and offering a 150% hourly rate for pilots who pick up open trips.
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This article was updated Friday with a statement from the Allied Pilots Association.
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