American Airlines Lures Flight Attendants for Holidays With More Pay

Following an example set by Southwest Airlines during the July 4th weekend, American Airlines is hoping to avoid another cancellation mess during the upcoming holidays by enticing flight attendants to work more shifts by increasing their pay.

American was caught short-handed last week by weather delays and staff shortages that caused more than 2,000 cancellations over a four-day period.

With international travel to the U.S. returning on Monday, November 8, and the six-week period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s likely to be even more popular than in the past due to pent-up demand, American is taking precautions.

Even if it means flight attendants are adding to their workloads.

“To ensure we’re providing certainty for both our customers and team members, we’re doubling down on our efforts related to our schedule and staffing,” American’s COO David Seymour said in a staff note on Friday obtained by CNBC. “On the schedule front, we’ve ensured that November and December are built to meet customer demand and that they are fully supportable by our staffing.”

It’s possible that some flight attendants could receive triple pay depending on how much they work – and how little time they miss.

The deal calls for flight attendants and reserve cabin crew members who work peak-period trips between Nov. 23 and Nov. 29, or Dec. 22 through Jan. 2, to receive time-and-a-half in pay, CNBC noted.

If crew members who sign up for the deal also have perfect attendance between Nov. 15 and Jan. 2, it means another 150 percent bonus based on their pay.

American’s flight attendants union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, signed off on the deal since it was opt-in and not mandatory.