American Airlines suffers IT glitch that caused thousands of flights in July

A glitch on a scheduling platform allowed American Airlines pilots to drop thousands of trips in July last night, a headache for the airline as it attempts to minimize flight disruptions during a booming travel season, their union said Saturday.

American said it didn't expect the problem to affect its operation, including during the July Fourth holiday weekend.

A technical glitch caused certain trip trading transactions to be able to be processed when it shouldn't have been permitted, the airline said in a statement. We already have restored the vast majority of the affected trips and do not anticipate any operational impact because of this issue. The Allied Pilots Association said that more than 12,000 July flights lacked a captain, first officer or both, because pilots dropped assignments.

Pilots can often drop or pick up trips but time off in the summer or holidays is hard to come by for airline employees as schedules peak to cater to strong demand.

American had more than 3,000 mainline flights scheduled on Saturday and they were 93% full, according to an internal tally. Flights left unstaffed are an additional strain on any airline.

The glitch occurred during a rocky start to the Fourth of July weekend when thunderstorms and staffing issues caused thousands of U.S. flight delays and hundreds of cancellations.

American and its pilots union, whose relationship is fraught, are in the middle of contract negotiations and the airline offered nearly 17% raises through 2024. Capt. is the new president of the union. On Friday, Ed Sicher began a three-year term.

American pilots have recently picked up against grueling schedules, something they want to address in a new contract. Pilots at Delta and Southwest have been fired for similar reasons in the past few weeks.

American said it suspended a platform that allows pilots to change their schedules while it investigates the issue.

We understand these tools are important for our pilots and are working quickly as possible. American told pilots in an email on Saturday that they would provide updates throughout the day as they learn more.

Dennis Tajer, an American Airlines captain and spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, said the company didn't keep the IT system working properly, creating uncertainty for passengers and pilots. In 2017, a similar issue occurred when American pilots were unable to take vacation during the busy December holiday period because of a technology problem. Pilots who picked up assignments were given 150% of the carrier's pay.