BLOGGER NOTICES CANCELLATIONS

In the past two days, American Airlines has canceled about 5 percent of its flights, and it doesn’t appear weather is a factor (although it was drizzly at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport on Sunday).

Gary Leff, who blogs at BoardingArea.com, noticed the cancellation statistic when running American’s network numbers at FlightStats.com and posed the question if American’s pilots were holding a sick out.

The answer from the Allied Pilots Association is a resounding no.

Interestingly, about 30 of the 100 flights canceled on each day are at American’s hub at Dallas/Fort Worth, according to FlightStats. notified.

“This number includes employees that may be affected by the initial reduction as well as those that may be impacted by the subsequent bump and roll. ... Therefore, the WARN notice numbers are highly inflated.”

In Tulsa, where 7,000 people are employed at American’s Maintenance & Engineering Center at Tulsa International Airport, layoffs are expected of an estimated 770 of 5,000 mechanics and related work groups and 90 of 512 stock clerks, American executives said.

The WARN notifications of layoffs expected about Nov. 16 are being sent to two American plant maintenance workers at Tulsa International Airport and 50 plant maintenance employees at the M&E Center, as well as 31 fleet service clerks at Tulsa International, company executives said.

On Dec. 16, 2,330 mechanics at the M&E Center and 307 plant maintenance workers, 98 fleet service clerks, two ground service workers and 174 logistics specialists could be affected by layoffs, American’s WARN letters say.