Pilots say they will staff all scheduled American Airlines flights for Christmas
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American Airlines’ pilots have reached an agreement with the carrier to staff every scheduled flight during the upcoming holiday season, avoiding cancellations that were threatened by a computer error.
American Airlines, the world’s biggest carrier, was forced to scramble this week because a computer glitch allowed too many pilots to schedule vacation during Christmas, risking the cancellation of hundreds of the 200,000 scheduled flights in December.
On Thursday, the airline said it hoped to staff every flight by turning to reserve pilots and offering extra pay to other pilots who were approved to take time off during the busy holiday period.
But on Friday afternoon, the Allied Pilots Assn., the union that represents American’s 15,000 pilots, said the group had reached an agreement with the carrier regarding the extra pay, among other issues surrounding the vacation snafu.
As a result, the union said, “we anticipate that American Airlines will be able to maintain a full December schedule as planned for its passengers.”
The airline confirmed the news, saying, “We can assure customers that among the many stresses of the season, worrying about a canceled flight won’t be one of them. In short, if Santa is flying, so is American.”
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