Newsweek: American Airlines Has 12,000 Flights for July That Have No Pilots Scheduled
A computer snafu has potentially left thousands of American Airlines flights without pilots ahead of the Fourth of July travel weekend.
The issue was first reported on Saturday by ABC reporter Gio Benitez, noting that an overnight glitch in the American Airlines system had allowed pilots to drop flights for the month of July. As a result, roughly 12,000 flights are now without pilots, starting as soon as Sunday and including the Fourth of July weekend, one of the biggest times for air travel in the U.S.
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As a result of the issues plaguing the industry, the number of flight issues in recent months surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Staffing issues, in particular, are likely to persist, according to one expert.
“Certain jobs cannot be filled quickly, nor should they be when it’s as critical as, you know, pilots,” William McGee, senior fellow for aviation at American Economic Liberties Project, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “And so now we have this shortage. There’s just no way it’s going to be fixed this summer.”