American Airlines cancels hundreds of flights through mid-July – citing labor shortage, huge demand

American Airlines is canceling hundreds of flights through mid-July, citing a labor shortage amid trying to meet the challenges of a pent up travel demand.

The company said seasonal weather – which this time of year typically includes lightning storms – is also contributing to the cancelation of flights at least through July 15, according to The Hill newspaper. 

An airline spokesperson attributed the labor shortage to vendors and the delays and cancellations to an "incredibly quick ramp up of customer demand" after COVID-19 restrictions being lifted.

The company canceled 120 flights on Saturday and 180 on Sunday, about 6% of its total scheduled flights, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware.

Travelers are told to expect  50 to 80 canceled flights a day until conditions improve. 

"Our flight home was canceled and we were stuck in Dallas with nowhere to stay," passenger Madyson Moran said about a American Airlines flight earlier this month. "The flight was canceled for a crew-related problem even though we were in the hub for American Airlines."