American Airlines pilots have joined flight attendants in revealing they were forced to sleep in airports during last week’s meltdown, with their union blasting management as “completely unprepared,” despite clear warnings ahead of the storm.
As American Airlines cancelled nearly 10,000 flights during last week’s winter storm – a meltdown that was far deeper and that went on far longer than at any other airline, Chief Operating Officer David Seymour went public to argue that the airline’s technology worked, they recovered well, and they didn’t lose track of any of their crew. According to Seymour, no one was stuck sleeping in airports and they were able to stay in touch with front line employees to pair them with flights.
This despite his own CEO’s admission last Thursday that “throughout the rest of our system, some of our crewmembers didn’t have a place to stay last night.” Indeed, I’ve written about:
- Flight attendants sleeping in airports
- Unable to connect with crew scheduling, and being hung up on after about 12 hours on hold
- While the airline didn’t realize they hadn’t received their legally mandated overnight rest, so flights were cancelling with planes and pilots waiting and the wrong crew scheduled to work.
The plight of flight attendants during the storm was well documented. But the President of the airline’s pilot’s union lays out that the same thing was happening to his group, too. (HT: @JonNYC)
American Airlines pilots are in the midst of their annual meeting in Dallas, and the union president’s opening remarks earlier in the week laid this out:
For several days prior to Winter Storm Fern, forecasts warned of snow and ice blanketing the southern half of the country. The storm hit exactly as predicted — yet somehow the company was still caught completely unprepared.
As a result of management’s lack of preparation and ability to respond to events on the ground, our members were stranded away from their homes, slept in airports, and tried to get guidance from the Company only to be left on hold for five, six, seven hours or more, if they were able to make contact at all. …
[At company headquarters] crippling operational breakdowns are characterized as “another day in the life of the airline.
He calls out the airline’s financial performance, and how it hurts pilot pay – Delta is paying more profit sharing to pilots than what American Airlines earned in total last year.
The company under this management team appears to lack the tools, creativity, leadership, and willpower to return American to prominence among its peers.
…As I noted in my message last week, the lack of profit for our airline directly impacts our members. It creates a significant disparity in take-home pay while delivering substantial cost savings to management. By comparison, Delta will pay more than $500 million in profit sharing to their pilots this year — more than American’s full-year earnings.
At this meeting, pilots will consider whether to call for the removal of airline CEO Robert Isom. And the union President ended by relaying that he’s informed the officers of the airline that the group “stands ready to step into the role of ensuring the future of this airline.” Of course, leadership of the pilot group itself has not been without chaos.
Why do I get the feeling this, too, is part of collective moves against Isom?
It’ll be hilarious if this is what finally does him in. Investors don’t care about the poor performance, but pilots and FA’s do!
Enough about the pilots and flight attendants. What about the thousands of passengers (children/seniors/disabled) stranded in hub cities for days without hotels or meals. Isom is to to blame but he inherited the mess (and 35 billion in debt) from Parker!
I sympathize. Have had the dubious thrill of spending a night in an airport thanks to AA.
@John C — Eh, sort of a bad take. I’d argue that we should hear MORE about both crews and passengers, who were negatively impacted; because, it’s all of us, together, on one side of this, then on the other side, management, who failed everyone.
Honestly, is there any good news in the travel sphere?
Awe, just like the passengers. My heart bleeds.
@Mike P — You know that there still is; by the way, I read Sowell’s op ed in WSJ on how his ‘voice’ is all over the internet saying things he’s never said, thanks to AI.
@ Dan – it’s not about making the woes of the crew more important than the woes of the paying passengers. The point is, if AA can’t even manage to adequately accommodate their employees (who are federally mandated to get a certain amount of rest, and affirmatively certify they are “fit for duty” before operating the plane YOU plan to ride on) – what does that say about their ability to accommodate your needs?
An airlines basic, core responsibilities are to safely provide:
– A mechanically sound aircraft
– A prepared, trained, and rested crew to operate the flight
– A planned departure and arrival time (I know, I know… stay with me…)
– A system that manages the complexities of processes out of their control, i.e. ATC and the weather, so that they can operate as close to the planned departure and arrival times as often as reasonably expected
If an airline is dropping the ball on one of their primary responsibilities – having a prepared, rested crew ready to operate a flight – that speaks very badly on their operation, and should have you questioning being one of their passengers… especially when it appears that disruptive weather is in the forecast.
Were there any empty hotel rooms?
Where did they expect to be placed
I don’t know why the pilots are complaining. They were closer to the airport bar… win win
Well, why it might really be a bummer for passengers to be stranded in the airport and even the Flight Attendants I would want the pilot flying my plane to be 100% functional and awake. For me this goes a beyond feelings and sympathy – rather safety.
@1990 give it rest. You have made it known in NUMEROUS posts you are a union shill.
These same pilots were instrumental in America West’s clowns driving out a reasonably capable legacy management team. And now it’s blown up in their faces. Them complaining about their compensation is especially rich (pun intended)
@Johnny — I’m nearly always in-favor of workers and consumers over capital and management in these situations. No, it’s not the pilots direct or even indirect fault for these specific failures in the past few weeks. That’s a stretch.
And, separately but related, within such organizations, I’ve regularly advocated for change, including, if members don’t like results/direction of leadership, vote them out, too; run for leadership. Even notoriously anti-union Delta has a pilots union. Unions aren’t the problem here; they’re part of the solution.
“Totally unprepared for meltdown” Kind of a moronic statement. Had they been prepared would have there been a meltdown?
@Humdrum
I challenge you next time you fly to ask the pilots if they have been drinking. Come on keyboard warrior let’s see what you are made of. I’m betting you won’t fly that day.
Pilots get 400k a year for 1000 hours work and they cannot afford a hotel?
it all comes down to Isom’s firm stance on ” don’t spend a penny more than you have to” and the “opinion” that They’ll figure it out on their own.
airline management has been failing for decades. Crandall was the last CEO that did anything good for the airline. After Crandall, they were all out to just fill their own pockets.
@ John C ; one significant difference, the pilots and crew are REQUIRED to be there , the passengers aren’t. and as Essential workers, they need to be rested and able to work. Unlike the passengers who only need to be able to Whine that their entitlements haven’t been met.
Did they not learn from Southwest’s meltdown in 2022?
David Seymour was on Airlines Confidential this week and said the IROP went very well and there were no reports of losing crews. This management team is clueless.
Well, some things never change. Maybe they should offer up caviar to the Pilots and FA’s. That should solve all their problems.
I’m sorry Gary, but offering up better food on the planes does not solve their incessant operational issues.
I have never seen the customer service line so packed at DFW. The terminal A line extended well past where the Admirals club is located. The looks on the faces of those passengers said it all. Exhausted. Frustrated. Disappointed. Management should have at least provided some free snacks and water to that line. It’s not much, but may have helped brighten someone’s day a little.
How AA leadership is still there is just extraordinary but a great bonus to all the competition.