American, Spirit cancel hundreds of flights

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- American Airlines and Spirit Airlines reported hundreds of cancellations Tuesday, leaving customers stranded and testing their patience as the carriers tried to resolve their issues.

American, which faced issues after bad weather Sunday snarled traffic at its largest hub, the Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport, has had problems getting back to normal because of staffing shortages.

American Airlines canceled more than 270 flights Tuesday. DFW continued to be a bottleneck with 135 incoming and outgoing flight cancellations.

In the meantime, Spirit entered its third day of significant flight cancellations. On Tuesday, it called off 259 flights, representing 38% of all of its flights. Spirit continued to blame "operational challenges" for its cancellation without further explanation.

Delays from several thunderstorm systems knocked Spirit's crew scheduling out of whack, pushing many of them beyond the federal safety rules. That left the carrier struggling to find replacement crews over the busy weekend as flights -- and passengers -- piled up at airports.

"We understand how frustrating it is for our guests when plans change unexpectedly, and we're working to find solutions," Spirit spokesman Erik Hofmeyer told WTOP.

The disruptions and shortages came on Sunday as air travel officials recorded the busiest travel day of the year since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, adding to the chaos.