An American Airlines scheduling glitch has left thousands of American Airlines flights without the pilots for the holiday season.
In an email to company employees, American Airlines explained how a software error gave time off to too many pilots between 17th-31st December.
The glitch caused the scheduling system to show that the carrier had enough staff cover for thousands of planned flights when it actually didn’t.
When news broke, an estimated 15,000 of the carrier’s flights scheduled to run over the festive period did not have an assigned pilot.
After the airline offered pilots more money to cancel their holiday plans and work the shift, it seems that the crisis is nearly resolved.
American Airlines said in statement: “We are working diligently to address the issue and expect to avoid cancellations this holiday season.
“We have reserve pilots to help cover flying in December, and we are paying pilots who pick up certain open trips 150% of their hourly rate.”
The company says the number of flights with pilot staffing issues has been slashed to only a “few hundred”.
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