American Airlines cancels over 1,000 flights during Halloween weekend
CHICAGO - O’Hare International Airport was busy Monday and passengers were tense, after hearing that thousands of American Airlines flights were cancelled over the weekend.
The airline said cancellations were due to severe winds in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where they are headquartered. There were long lines at security but they moved quickly.
American Airlines Chief Operating Officer David Seymour had warned employees that late October would be challenging but still maintained in an email that weather caused the delays and cancellations.
Passengers and pilots shared complaints on social media, saying staffing was the issue.
More people are beginning to travel but without pilots, crews and other staff, customers are impacted. Some were concerned they would be the ones having to shell out more money for hotels and rental cars.
Seymour said in his statement: "Our team members are continuing to take care of our customers and we anticipate getting through this brief ops period quickly with the start of a new month."
He said 1,800 flight attendants would return from leave starting Nov. 1 and more pilots and reservations staff will be hired before the end of the year.