In an unusually candid memo circulated late on 10 November, American Airlines Chief Operating Officer David Seymour blasted the wave of government-shutdown-related flight disruptions that led the carrier to cancel nearly 1,400 departures and log 57,000 minutes of delays over the weekend. The memo, first obtained by Business Insider, calls the situation “simply unacceptable” and says “everyone—our customers, our people and the broader economy—deserves better.”
American has trimmed schedules at all 10 of its U.S. hubs after the FAA imposed rolling slot caps. The memo reveals the airline will increase planned cuts from 4 % to 10 % starting 14 November, aligning with federal directives. Roughly a quarter-million passengers were affected over the weekend; some corporate clients triggered duty-of-care clauses to rebook travellers on private charters.
![American Airlines COO Slams ‘Simply Unacceptable’ 1,400 Cancellations, Warns of Thanksgiving Chaos]()
Seymour urged lawmakers to end the shutdown and restore pay for ATC and TSA personnel, noting the carrier has already spent more than US$60 million on hotels, vouchers, and crew overtime since 1 October. He also cautioned that even if funding is restored this week, system recovery will be “slow and uneven,” raising the spectre of a disrupted Thanksgiving peak.
For mobility managers, the takeaway is to maintain flexible travel policies, authorise refundable fares, and explore rail alternatives on short-haul East Coast routes. American Airlines said it will update its corporate-sales partners daily and has temporarily relaxed “last-seat availability” clauses in managed-travel contracts to facilitate re-accommodation.
American has trimmed schedules at all 10 of its U.S. hubs after the FAA imposed rolling slot caps. The memo reveals the airline will increase planned cuts from 4 % to 10 % starting 14 November, aligning with federal directives. Roughly a quarter-million passengers were affected over the weekend; some corporate clients triggered duty-of-care clauses to rebook travellers on private charters.
Seymour urged lawmakers to end the shutdown and restore pay for ATC and TSA personnel, noting the carrier has already spent more than US$60 million on hotels, vouchers, and crew overtime since 1 October. He also cautioned that even if funding is restored this week, system recovery will be “slow and uneven,” raising the spectre of a disrupted Thanksgiving peak.
For mobility managers, the takeaway is to maintain flexible travel policies, authorise refundable fares, and explore rail alternatives on short-haul East Coast routes. American Airlines said it will update its corporate-sales partners daily and has temporarily relaxed “last-seat availability” clauses in managed-travel contracts to facilitate re-accommodation.
