Pilots calling in sick are forcing American Airlines to cancel more than 180 flights Monday as the travel industry feels the strain of the spreading omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus.
While Delta, United and JetBlue continue to feel the worst of the fallout from the holiday weekend wave of cancellations, Fort Worth-based American saw a growing number of flight cancellations and delays spread across the country at both its main-line and regional carriers.
Nationwide, airlines have canceled nearly 1,000 flights Monday, although reported weather and technology problems are adding further complications for Dallas-based Southwest Airlines and regional carrier SkyWest. That was after more than 1,500 cancellations nationwide.
“The coronavirus is moving through aviation crews as it is moving through the general population,” said a note from airline analyst Helane Becker with Cowen. “Flight cancelations over the weekend totaled 3,200 flights, and there are another 1,000 flights canceled so far today.”
The cancellations come as airports face another uptick in travel with more than 2 million passengers going through TSA checkpoints Sunday and more than 34 million expected during the holiday season.
American Airlines escaped the problems that hampered Delta and United before Christmas as those airlines sidelined hundreds of flights because of a lack of pilots and flight attendants, causing problems for thousands of passengers hoping to connect with family for the holidays.
An American Airlines spokesman said Sunday that the airline was preemptively canceling flights due to “a number of COVID-related sick calls.”
“We proactively notified affected customers yesterday and are working hard to rebook them quickly,” American Airlines spokesman Derek Walls said. “We never want to disappoint our customers and apologize for any disruptions to their holiday travel plans.”
But American started to see sick calls increase on Christmas day from pilots, said Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Association of Flight Attendants. Those calls increased Sunday and into Monday, with about 170 flights canceled on the latter two days.
American’s cancellations are spread throughout the country, Tajer said, and the operational challenges don’t seem to be causing the kinds of snowballing failures that crippled airlines in the fall and summer.
DFW International Airport, American’s largest hub, had 32 cancellations Monday, according to Flightaware.com.
The CDC is reporting the biggest spike in new COVID-19 cases since January, and White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci told MSNBC Monday that the U.S. should even consider a vaccine requirement for domestic travel.
“Omicron is very different,” Fauci told MSNBC. “It has an extraordinary capability of transmitting from person to person.”
Airlines such as American have worked for more than 20 months to keep pilots healthy and able to work through the COVID-19 pandemic. The FAA calls for a 10-day quarantine after pilots test positive for the coronavirus or come into contact with someone who tested positive.
Those types of requirements, as well as seasonal colds and flus, are limiting crew availability across the country. Last week, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines asked the FAA to reduce the quarantine to five days.
Tajer said pilots at American Airlines may be skeptical about coming into work if they have any signs of illness, particularly because COVID-19 tests are difficult to procure in some parts of the country.
Southwest Airlines had about 50 cancellations Monday, according to Flightaware.com, but the carrier attributed all of its operational challenges to snow and weather issues in the western United States.
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