WASHINGTON, Oct 31, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - American Airlines has had to cancel

hundreds of flights this weekend due to staffing shortages triggered by
weather-related disruptions, according to FlightAware data on Saturday.

   The website, which tracks delays and cancellations in the US skies, showed
that American Airlines cancelled more than 800 flights on Friday and Saturday
and expects more than 400 cancellations on Sunday.

   American Airlines CEO David Seymour said in a memo to staff on Saturday
that the difficulties began on Thursday with strong wind storms that blocked
capacity at the company's Dallas hub and delayed staff positioning for
upcoming flights.

   The company boss said that with additional weather issues, staffing
"begins to run tight as crew members end up out of their regular flight
sequences."

   He said he hoped that operations will be restored "quickly with the start
of a new month."

   He also announced the return of 1,800 flight staff who have been on
standby since the pandemic and the hiring of another 600 by the end of
December, as well as 4,000 airport employees.

   Most travellers affected by the cancellations were able to rebook for the
same day, said the airline, which operates 6,700 daily flights worldwide to
350 destinations in 50 countries.

   American Airlines is not the first airline to suffer a staffing shortage
as travel demand picks up with vaccinations and the lifting of restrictions.

   Last week Southwest had to cancel more than 2,000 flights, costing it $75
million.

   The problems were triggered on a Friday afternoon by bad weather and a
temporary lack of air traffic controllers in one area of Florida. But the
situation was quickly exacerbated by limited staffing levels and then
snowballed over several days.