A glitch at American Airlines gave too many pilots time off in December, resulting in a lack of crew for the holiday season.
According to Bloomberg, the glitch has left “more than 15,000 flights without enough crew during the holiday rush.”
“We are working diligently to address the issue and expect to avoid cancellations this holiday season,” declared American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller, who added that the glitch showed the company there were enough staff to cover trips when there weren’t.
“The computer-system problem will force American to rebuild its staffing schedule, similar to what airlines must do after major weather disruptions,” reported Bloomberg Technology. “Revenue will take a hit if American has to scrub many flights. At a minimum, the carrier is likely to face higher labor costs just as investors are stepping up scrutiny of airline expenses.”
In a statement, American Airlines announced that pilots are currently being enticed with 150 percent of their usual hourly rate to “pick up” certain trips.
“We are working diligently to address the issue and expect to avoid cancellations this holiday season. We have reserve pilots to help cover flying in December, and we are paying pilots who pick up certain open trips 150 percent of their hourly rate – as much as we are allowed to pay them per the contract,” the company claimed. “We will work with the APA to take care of our pilots and ensure we get our customers to where they need to go over the holidays.”
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington and Gab @Nash, or like his page at Facebook.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.