American solution to December flights

American Airlines Group and its pilots union reached an agreement that will allow the carrier to avoid cancelling flights during the holiday travel season after it allowed too many aviators to take vacation by mistake.

The carrier and the Allied Pilots Association didn’t immediately disclose details of their pact but said it should ensure that American, the world’s largest carrier, will maintain a full December flight schedule. The agreement addresses union concerns about the company’s plan to pay 1.5 times normal hourly rates to pilots willing to pick up flights in need of crews, according to a statement on the union website. 

The plan should calm travellers’ fears about their holiday flights. American will make about 200,000 flights in December. A processing error in American’s scheduling system November 24 wrongly showed the carrier had ample staffing coverage for some flights when it actually didn’t.