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A glitch in a scheduling platform allowed American Airlines pilots to drop thousands of trips in July last night, their union said Saturday, a headache for the airline as it tries to minimize flight disruptions During booming travel season.
American confirmed the issue and said that the company didn’t anticipate the problem to impact its operation, including during the holidays. July Fourth holiday weekend.
“As a result of this technical glitch, certain trip trading transactions were able to be processed when it shouldn’t have been permitted,” The airline released a statement. “We already have restored the vast majority of the affected trips and do not anticipate any operational impact because of this issue.”
The Allied Pilots Association stated earlier that more than 12,000 July flights were without a captain, first officers, or both after pilots dropped their assignments.
Pilots may drop off or pick up passengers on a regular basis, but they are limited in time off for holidays or summer vacations because airline schedules are full to meet high demand.
American had over 3,000 flights scheduled on Saturday, and 93% of them were full, according an internal count. Unstaffed flights are a strain on any airline.
This happened in the middle of a stormy start to Fourth of Jul weekend that caused staffing and personnel issues. thousands of U.S. flight delays There have been hundreds of cancellations.
American Airlines and its pilots’ union are currently in contract negotiations. The airline recently offered almost all of their services. 17% raises through 2024. Capt. Capt.
Pilots in America have been protesting the grueling schedules of their flights. They want a new contract to address this issue. Pilots at Delta and Southwest have picketed in recent weeks for similar reasons.
American stated that it had suspended a platform that allowed pilots to modify their schedules as it investigated the problem.
“We understand these are important tools for our pilots and are working as quickly as possible. We will provide updates throughout the day as we learn more,” American informed pilots via email on Saturday.
Dennis Tajer is an American Airlines Captain and a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association. He said that the company was unable to keep its IT system running properly and creating new jobs. “uncertainty for passengers and pilots.”
A similar issue occurred in 2017American pilots were able to take vacations during December holidays because of a technology issue. Pilots who took up assignments received 150% pay from the carrier.
