Pilots at American Airlines announced Friday that they would not walk off their jobs, saying they could better support striking flight attendants by continuing to fly empty jets, costing the carrier millions of dollars a day.
The pilots' union said more than half of American's nearly 3,000 flights scheduled since the start of the strike Thursday morning had gone without passengers, which the pilots contend is costing the carrier $25 million daily.At the airline's headquarters in Fort Worth, company officials acknowledged that the airline was operating at only about 40 percent of capacity on Friday.
Even if the strike lasts only 11 days, as the attendants have planned, American, which is the nation's largest domestic carrier, stands to lose almost as much as it made all year.
The Associated Press reported that American workers who were certified as flight attendants in shortened 10-day courses were helping to staff flights, sometimes without uniforms.
The Federal Aviation Administration said close to 500 workers graduated from the course a week ago, and nearly 1,000 more are taking the course now, according to AP.
Like a coast-to-coast blizzard, the strike by flight attendants has hamstrung travel throughout the nation, upending plans for business meetings, family reunions, vacations, even weddings.
"We've been planning this vacation forever," said Sue Karnes, whose flight to San Juan had been delayed for five hours, and counting, as fellow would-be passengers slept in chairs. "We're supposed to be on a cruise that leaves tomorrow. We paid $2,600, and it's non-refundable."