Christmas is arguably the busiest time of the year for most Americans, wherein numerous families make travel plans to spend quality time with their loved ones. However, when it comes to flights in and out of the U.S., American Airlines should not be the first choice. An estimate of 15,000 pilots will not be working during the holidays according to recent reports. This incidence was all because of a computer error in the airline's system.
In a report by The Chicago Tribune, American Airlines was able to provide a solution for their missing staff that would supposedly fly for the month of December. They successfully acquired the services of pilots willing to work with them. In fact, no flight schedules have been refunded. As of now, American Airlines will have an adequate number of pilots on standby to fulfill the flight needs of their customers.
However, the airline had to pay a price for their system's error, specifically one and a half more as compensation especially since the flights were previously unassigned to those pilots. According to USA Today, not all the flights have been accounted for as of now. From an estimated of 15,000 unmanned flights, American Airlines was able to cut that number down to just "a few hundred."
According to The Economist, the computer glitch accidentally granted too many pilots to take their leave during the holidays. Ever since the incident, American Airlines has already fixed their digital problems. As it turns out, the estimated 50 percent increase in the pilot's wages does not necessarily fix the reputable airline's problem. This is because they might still have to spend an additional sum in order to repair the damage of potentially missing out on important flights.
It is still unknown at this moment exactly how many flights are currently unmanned, and what the schedule of these flights are.
