American Airlines is a legacy of lost travelers who purchased their tickets with good intentions but were then dumped on. Because I was one of them. Twice. Now, the airline has announced that it will cut back or cancel service to many cities. None of this would have affected my life or plans.
American Airlines is short of pilots due to Joe Biden’s mandatory COVID-19 shots. These shots sent experienced, qualified pilots running for their lives. Some pilots who received the shot have reported problems. MarketWatch reports that airlines have incentivized pilots to retire earlier in order to save cash. Also responsible are labor rules that limit hours worked and reduce turnaround times. A post-COVID increase in travel is another reason for a crisis.
American Airlines could have informed us that they don’t have enough pilots, and it might have saved millions of man-hours in waiting in Soviet-like lines throughout its service area.
KryptoAnax, a Twitter user, wrote: “American Airlines is a joke tonight in Miami.”
American Airlines is a joke in Miami tonight. #AmericanAirlines pic.twitter.com/cuIaSM81lW
— Spartan⚡ 🟠 (@KryptoAnax) June 10, 2022
American Airlines canceled 200 flights over Memorial Day Weekend, but we weren’t traveling during that time. It turns out that delays, cancellations, and chaos are all too common in this process, regardless of when people travel.
Customers would often arrive at American Airlines terminals to find that there wasn’t a pilot or a first officer available. Or that flight restrictions meant that pilots couldn’t fly. A Twitter user wrote, “Has #AmericanAirlines also ruined my trip?” He had plenty of company.
Has #AmericanAirlines ruined YOUR trip too?? Thanks for nothing @AmericanAir ! pic.twitter.com/5aSyvJvn5z
— Peter (premier two) (@premier_two) June 6, 2022
- We were told the flight was delayed. No reason was given.
- Then it was delayed longer.
- Then we were told there was no first officer.
- Finally, we were allowed to board.
- Then we found out the plane’s radar didn’t work.
We disembarked to wait for a new plane. - The pilot said that if he couldn’t take off by 10:30 p.m. the flight would be canceled.
- The flight was canceled. Received vouchers for food and hotel.
- American told us our flight would leave the following morning at 11 a.m.
- At the hotel, we were told our flight was canceled.
- All seats on other planes were full.
- We changed flights to get us close to our destination.
We wouldn’t be comped ground transportation to our final destination.
There’s more, but you get the picture. A similar experience occurred on the way back. And we weren’t the only ones. The problems were so manifest that they became meme-worthy, as “Nate After Hours” posted. “Here’s where #AmericanAirlines put the first 2 days of our vacation,” he ruefully wrote. We know only too well how true this was.
Here’s where #AmericanAirlines put the first 2 days of our vacation. pic.twitter.com/QbLIraaI9u
— NateAfterHours (@nateafterhours) June 12, 2022
You get the idea. Similar experiences were had on the return journey. We weren’t alone. These problems became so common that “Nate After Hours” made memes about them. He wrote, “Here’s where#AmericanAirlines put 2 days of our vacation.” This is a fact we know all too well.
Customers would get told that their flight would depart the next day, but they would then realize the flight wasn’t available. This was what this Twitter user complained about. Andy Ladd suggested that #AmericanAirlines stop selling flights without any intention of taking off. “Why are they still selling tickets today, if a whole flight was canceled last night and there is a long waiting list?” This is wrong. “My mother waited since yesterday at 4 pm.” His mother, along with thousands of others, waited and waited.
Maybe #AmericanAirlines should stop selling flights with no Intension of taking off. Why are they still selling tickets today if a whole flight got cancelled last night and there’s a long wait list? This is just wrong. My mother has waited since 4pm yesterday. pic.twitter.com/Ld1uVTBKXR
— Andy Ladd (@AndyLadd6) June 10, 2022
The next day, passengers had to fight for seats on flights that were still available. This caused more delays. This is how it looked. The lines behind the counter are not visible. This was how our counter looked. We had to accept that we would be going to another place. American Airlines could not arrange ground transport for us.
Endless lines to rebook flights mysteriously delayed, canceled, suspended etc. pic.twitter.com/asVTWupPlQ
— Victoria Taft, The Adult in the Room (@VictoriaTaft) June 21, 2022
American announced Tuesday that it will be reducing flights to three cities. This could allow pilots to fly more freely. BestLifeOnline reported on Tuesday that Americans will cancel flights from Islip, Ithaca, N.Y., and Toledo, Ohio, beginning September 7. According to TPG, it will also cancel service “from Charlotte (North Carolina) to Alexandria (Louisiana) (AEX), as well as service from Chicago (ORD) and Toledo (OH) to and from Islip and Ithaca, N.Y.
Let’s see how that helps keep the planes on schedule elsewhere.
However, don’t put your money on it.