American Airlines flight attendants found themselves sleeping in airports last weekend after the carrier “forgot to book hotel rooms” for its stranded crew.
Hit by severe weather, American found itself cancelling flights all at once late in the day, and the hotel and limo desk wasn’t sufficiently staffed to handle rooms for cabin crew.
Flight attendants tried to get in touch to organize somewhere to sleep when they were stranded, but couldn’t get through as lines were overwhelmed – because “hundreds of other crew competed to get hold of someone who could arrange them accommodation in whichever city they found themselves stuck in for the night.”
The union sent out this message to New York-based flight attendants:
Over this past weekend, particularly last night, the LGA Base Council received numerous distress messages from Flight Attendants who were left without hotel accommodations, stranded without information from the Hotel and Limo desks, and forced to endure excessive hold times with Crew Scheduling and Tracking. Sadly, these scenarios are no longer isolated incidents, but a recurring pattern whenever the operation experiences disruptions.
…Despite promises made under the recent “performance reorganization” — which claimed to be about getting closer to crews to better support them — these operational failures have only become more frequent.
And Dallas-based crew were told by their union,
These past several hours—and for some, the past few days—have tested all of us in ways that go far beyond schedules and logistics. The ongoing IROPS disruptions have not only pushed our operation to the edge—they’ve pushed you, our members, well past what should ever be expected.
…facing extended duty days, fatigue, rest issues, and in many cases, being left without hotel accommodations or transportation. It’s unacceptable. …This is a failure of the company’s operational systems—a fragile infrastructure that continues to miss the mark. …
- We are actively escalating every unresolved hotel issue on your behalf.
- We are demanding immediate and long-term fixes to bring real relief to the front lines—our members.
- We have communicated your experiences directly to management and will continue to press for accountability and change.
In 2021 American flight attendants were stuck sleeping in airports and again in 2022. This happens during irregular operations – usually bad weather – but the airline is supposed to staff up to ensure rooms are made available to their employees.
There’s an app they can use to book a room instead of calling, and when they can’t get a room through the vendor they can book themselves and get reimbursed later (provided they have a credit card). They shouldn’t have to do this, but there are self-serve approaches available. And crew are fearful of booking their own accommodations because they worry they won’t be paid back.
American has said that their outsourced vendor for this has staffed up its call center though clearly not enough.
They also promised that their own employees would back up the hotel and limo desk, too, to make sure flight attendants could get help. They were also supposed to pre-purchase extra rooms at hubs and heavy layover cities, willing to eat he cost of unused rooms, to make sure they had a place for flight attendants to sleep.
It’s not the first time this has happened. American has even made promises it wouldn’t happen again.
I feel for them (and anyone affected), because the IROPS in the NYC area (not just AA, it’s nearly all airlines and airports) the past couple weeks has been brutal. So many delays and cancellations. Not just ‘weather,’ though it has been excessively hot and the thunderstorms (and flooding) aren’t good. The FAA shortage at EWR is not good either. Folks need ‘help.’ Seriously. Lower expectations, everyone. Book backups, if you can.
@Gary, just yesterday didn’t;t you go on record as saying American has gotten a lot better than they’re getting credit for. Since that posting you’ve share photos of a setback covered in vomit and a story of AA leaving their employees to sleep on the floor in the airport.
I’m confused. Are they better than they’re getting credit for and, if so, how bad do we think they are? Or, are they the same old inconsistent AA trying to convince us they’re better than they really are?
But I thought the Almighty Union was supposed to provide all amenities to it’s members, sounds like they need to give the Higher-Ups bigger $$ million bonuses.
Yes. Disruptions happen. Unforseen problems. We all live with them.
@Parker — It’s almost as if ‘engagement’ is the real ‘goal’ of these posts. And, if so, I’m all for it. Bah! *stirring the pot*
@Doc423 — Ah, so close! If you just focused your ‘ire’ at the actual management/executives of the airline (not the union leadership), then you’d be a bit closer to who ‘failed’ here. I get it, since the 1980s, we’ve been conditioned to ‘hate’ organized labor. Yeah, screw ‘weekends’ (and higher wages, better benefits, improved working conditions, increased job security…) ‘The people’ want their oligarchs to get an 8th mega yacht with a helipad!
@Craig Jones — Did you.. look for…
@1990 my breath is regularly taken away by your wit and humor. LOL!
I know, if @Gary didn’t post these things what would we have to kvetch about all day instead of doing our jobs? Where else could we find an outlet for our hostilities, insecurities, intolerances, indignations and general knowledge of everything in a manner that is (more or less) safe and harmless?
@ Parker
At least AA gets credit for not billeting crews in hotels with beds covered in vomit, no ?
… lol
So there is a ‘back-up’ plan or app for crews to exercise ‘self help’ instead of literally being stranded.
I would hope AA would also have to pay some sort of penalty to discourage abuse and to compensate FA’s for their extra inconvenience. What could be more problematic is during massive IROPS, crews will have to compete with stranded pax for a finite number of hotel rooms.
@Parker — Good one! *nervous laughter*
When there is a will there is a way. The company (probably all of them) have minimized and outsourced these functions to boost profit and simply can’t respond to a crisis, although bad weather should not come as unexpected.
I am an aviation user not employee, but know many, many flight attendants and pilots. The pilots have negotiated much more agreeable solutions and they simply do not hesitate to solve the problem themselves and they know they will get reimbursed (crew bus is late, take a cab, without hesitation!). I do not believe FA unions have done anything to look after their constituents in this regard.
Homes toy, I think the number of FAs that do not have a credit card in 2025 must be measurable on one hand?
Having a dozen FAs scattered across town in different hotels seems hardly efficient when the flying resumes. Penny wise, pound foolish comes to mind, but find me a recent example of an Executive that was fired and did not get his bonus?
Taste of their own medicine??? (like when passengers are stranded?)
@derek touche!
Bottom line as 1990 said, be proactive. As a passenger and as an ex airline worker that is exactly what I did. There are those out there that fold their arms, huff and puff while all the rooms get taken, stating “it is not my job to do this”. Okay fine then. Crash in the airport and I’ll get myself a room.
@Parker – they aren’t getting credit for the improvements they have made, they also have a long way to go.
You would think this would be easily handled by technology. Crew goes on an app, puts in location and app comes back with a hotel. Direct bill to a company credit card behind the scenes. How is this any different when I get stuck some place with weather and go on the Priceline app to find a hotel?
@George Romey — What if, you could use an incident, say ‘the weather,’ as an excuse to ‘not pay’ or properly take care of your workers/customers? ‘Corporate executives love this one neat trick…’
@1990 I don’t think airline executives are thinking yeah I strand my crews and that will beef up the bottom line. They’re not that evil or dumb. But most of the C level I’ve dealt with have no clue about technology and don’t understand that if the technology is right and its reliable what it can do. You need a really good CIO that knows what to and what not to invest in.
@George Romey — Ok. Maybe. But, also, what was it that American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said: our priority is “not spending any more than we have to.” (Thanks for the layup, George.)
It seems that lying in the airline industry is coming full circle, biting even those on the inside. The rooms went to somebody and if they didn’t go to flight attendants, they may have gone to stranded passengers, probably paying out of pocket without hope of reimbursement.
They need an app for pax also to book. Waiting 1 to 2 hr as happens in CLT is a waste of time
@jns
Airlines aren’t responsible for hotel rooms for a weather event.
It is happening to pilots also. And that costs the company money when those pilots aren’t legally rested the next day for their flights.
FA’s should be considered on duty, with the pay clock running, until such time as they have begun their time off either at home or in a company provided hotel. Let’s get it in their contract.
Derek:
“Taste of their OWN medicine ?” So when weather disrupts operations, its now the FLIGHT ATTENDANTS fault?
You have a warped sense of reality.
@Coffee Please — ‘Weather’ and ‘FAA staffing’ have been the go-to scapegoats for almost all IROPS this year, and while actual ‘severe’ weather is a real reason for disruptions and is often out of the airlines’ control, from the perspective of most passengers, @jns is right, because it feels like the excuse is being abused for preventable operational failures.
However, often, it is not just the weather in the origin or destination, but on the route, and also that of the inbound aircraft, which, at that point, it kinda is ‘in their control.’
Yes, it would be a financial burden (some would say ‘impractical’) to have crews and spare aircraft in-reserve. So, in the case of a delay caused by an inbound aircraft, I’d say the rules should be amended so that delays for that reason, even if the inbound aircraft was affected by weather (either at its origin or in-route), are under the airlines’ control.
Then again, we’d need new legislation, likely by Congress, or at least a directive by the FAA/DOT, for there to be any scheme to compensate affected passengers. I’ve repeatedly mentioned how necessary and helpful this would be, but it falls on deaf ears because we are so beholden to corporate dominance.
One more time, to preemptively address the standard objections: No, reasonable regulation is not bad. Equivalents, like EU261 and Canada’s APPR, don’t raise costs on consumers or bankrupt airlines; and no, consumer traveler insurance isn’t good enough because the terms of those policies often limit recovery under most circumstances that regularly affect us (delays must be +72 hours, or 50% the trip, so id you’re away for 2 weeks, then you’d have to be delayed a week, etc.)
I worked for AA for 10+ years, the last 5 in Customer Relations before they closed the department and let us all go. I have both fond memories and my fair share of resentments. I spent the bulk of the last three years evaluating compensation claims. I will say that we did NOT lie about the reasons for IROPS, nor did we have a practice of blaming it on weather when it was not weather related. It *still* irks me when people think that happens.
I didn’t see any comments about the flight attendants not being paid or reimbursed. Use the app specially just for you.
@ Robert Garcia , such are these times. Corporate has eyes on here(with a little help from the editor) and any FA that speaks against the Corporation, will be looking for a new job. so they won’t say anything. such the oligarchy of the nation, dissent and you’re disappeared. the priority is as 1990 stated, ” don’t spend a $ you don’t have to.” and if they can “forget” to find rooms, that’s $10,000 they won’t “have” to spend. Isom’s Xmas bonus just got a little boost.
This doesn’t surprise me. I was a PSA Flight attendant for American airlines. After they had denied my PED to go home to my dying mother. All of my thoughts and mindset changed. But it this situation the captain and or first officer. Is in charge . The captain should have did his or her commitment to safety and security to the flight Crew. And find a hotel and transportation. No matter how far the distance for the crew to get rested . They can fill out a report via intelex on the company issue tablet, paired with the reimbursement form. . I am not making any excuses for the company and it is a human ran operation. But maybe they need a segment of what to do as far as leadership in the training or LMS modules to ensure inflight Crew members continue safety first is Paramount. Thank you
Shut that co. Down! Dump the useless union. Im a retiree and glad im gone. This has been going on since…forever! My younger self what i know now…no hotel room. Grab my bags and GO HOME! Middle finger up!! Try and fire me!
This problem would not be on going if the union contract had negotiated monetary penalties on the company for these types of operational difficulties. Time and a half or double time compensation for the entire trip involved results in effective solutions.