American Airlines scrambles for pilots to fly its planes during holiday break

UPDATE : American Airlines, in a statement issued Thursday, said that out of about 200,000 flights scheduled to fly in December, “only a few hundred” are without pilots assigned to them. “That number of open flights continues to decrease thanks to our pilots who are stepping up to the plate. ... In addition, we have many more reserve pilots on hand in December than normal months and they provide us with the ability to fly many of the trips that are currently uncovered.” So far, the airline has canceled none of its scheduled flights in December.

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American Airlines is rushing to resolve a scheduling fault that gave time off to too many pilots in December – a flaw that has left more than 15,000 flights without sufficient crew during the holiday rush, according to a union for the carrier’s pilots.

The Allied Pilots Association estimated the number of affected flights, from Dec. 17 to Dec. 31, based on information provided by the carrier, said Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the union. American spokesman Matt Miller declined to quantify the potential number of flights involved, saying the airline expects to correct the problem and avoid cancellations.

At Fresno Yosemite International Airport, American Airlines operates two daily flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport as well as the return flights. Other flights under the American Eagle name to Los Angeles and Phoenix are operated by Utah-based SkyWest Airlines, by Arizona-based Mesa Airlines to Phoenix, and Compass Airlines to Los Angeles.

Vikkie Calderon, a spokeswoman for Fresno Yosemite International Airport, said the airport has not been notified whether any flights to or from Fresno might be affected by American’s scheduling woes.

“We are working diligently to address the issue and expect to avoid cancellations this holiday season,” American Airlines said in a statement released to The Bee on Wednesday. “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 statement added that the airline will work with the pilots union “to take care of our pilots and ensure we get our customers to where they need to go over the holidays.”

A SkyWest spokesman, Layne Watson, said its American Eagle flights to Los Angeles and Phoenix are not affected because its pilots are not part of American’s scheduling system. Neither American Airlines, Mesa nor Compass could be immediately be reached by The Bee to address whether the schedule problems would also affect other American Eagle flights from Fresno to either Los Angeles or Phoenix.

The computer-system problem will force American to rebuild its staffing schedule, similar to what airlines must do after major weather disruptions, said John Cox, chief executive officer of consultant Safety Operating Systems and a former commercial airline pilot. 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.

This story was originally published November 29, 2017 at 2:08 PM with the headline "American Airlines scrambles for pilots to fly its planes during holiday break."