Cancellations averted

Despite national trend, airport is largely spared

The weekend was frightful for many airline travelers across the U.S. as airports once again grappled with thousands of canceled flights.

But Albany International Airport was largely spared, with just one trip canceled on Sunday, a late-afternoon flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, American Airlines officials confirmed.

Four flights to and from Albany International Airport were nixed since Friday, the result of a staffing crunch paired with severe weather that has sent ripples throughout the industry.

American Airlines canceled nearly 1,500 flights between Friday and Sunday, representing about 9 percent of their total flights, the airline wrote in a letter issued on Saturday.

The airline cited staffing shortages and severe

weather that started last week, including two days of 50 mph winds at Dallas-fort Worth, its largest hub, that sharply reduced arrival capacity by half.

“With additional weather throughout the system, our staffing begins to run tight as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequences,” read the statement.

The airline canceled 726 flights Sunday, according to Flightaware, roughly 26 percent of its operation. Five percent, or 144 flights, were listed as delayed. Other airlines, too, were encountering similar rates, with China Eastern, for instance, canceling 22 percent of its flights on Sunday; and Air China, 19 percent.

Service disruptions have been frequent as the airline industry continues to struggle to bounce back from the pandemic, which stripped away a year of air travel in 2020 as millions stayed put.

The industry is returning in fits and starts, with Southwest Airlines also canceling scores of flights during last month’s Columbus Day weekend. The airline and federal authorities gave different accounts for the disruptions.

American Airlines said it’s poised to bring back more of its workforce heading into the holiday season.

Nearly 1,800 flight attendants are scheduled to return from leave on Monday, the airline said, with more returning on a phased-in basis continuing until Dec. 1.

The airline also aims to hire 4,000 new staffers in the fourth quarter, joining the ongoing hiring of pilots and technical staff.

Associated Press People wait in line at an American Airlines counter at the Charlotte, N.C., airport on Sunday after the airline canceled more than 700 flights.