- Spirit Airlines canceled 165 flights on Sunday and more than 200 on Monday, and American canceled 500
- Spirit passengers were left stranded throughout cities such as San Juan, Orlando, Miami and Fort Lauderdale
- American Airlines’ passengers in Dallas were worst hit on Monday, as the area experienced thunder storms
- Dozens of travelers took to Twitter to vent their frustrations while they waited for updates from the airline
- Videos showed travelers seated on the ground complaining of being hot and hungry in packed terminals
- A Spirit spokeswoman blamed the cancellations on weather and ‘other operational challenges.
- The spokeswoman denied rumors that they may have been impacted by a pilot strike
- On social media some reported that Spirit staff in Puerto Rico walked off the job in frustration at the anger
- On July 16 Senator Maria Cantwell wrote to CEOs of major airlines requesting information on pilot shortages
- The airlines received a $54 billion for payroll costs through Sept 30 as a result of COVID-19
- Airlines also received $25 billion in low-cost government loans and yet are complaining of staff shortages
Thousands of travelers were left stranded on Monday after two of the country’s largest airlines canceled almost 1,000 flights.
American Airlines canceled or delayed 1,500 flights on Monday – more than half of their scheduled itinerary – with its Dallas/Fort Worth hub bearing the brunt.
The airline canceled 562 flights on Monday, representing 18 per cent of all their departures, and saw a further 32 per cent – 979 flights – delayed, according to FlightAware.com.
Spirit canceled 400 on Sunday and Monday, with Spirit’s toll accounting for 30 percent of its scheduled flights nationwide. Orlando and Fort Lauderdale were hard hit, with 40 per cent of Orlando’s flights canceled or delayed on Monday, and 37 per cent of Fort Lauderdale’s.
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