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American Airlines Tops 9,000 Cancellations in Its Largest Weather Disruption

A DFW deep freeze crippled staffing, forcing American to deploy incentive pay.

Overview

  • American canceled roughly 15% of its schedule on Wednesday, with executives saying operations should be near normal by Thursday as temperatures rise in North Texas.
  • The carrier reports more than 9,000 flight cancellations since the weekend, marking its biggest weather-related operational disruption on record.
  • The storm hit five of American’s nine largest operating locations, with DallasFort Worth hardest affected; FlightAware logged over 1,000 American cancellations tied to DFW on Monday alone.
  • Unions say crews faced hotel shortages and hours‑long waits to reach scheduling, with some flight attendants spending nights in terminals, and the pilots’ union preparing grievances.
  • To speed the rebuild, American activated incentive pay for crews, including double pay for some flight attendants and a special pay rule for pilots, extended travel waivers, and projected a $150–$200 million first‑quarter revenue hit.