Hundreds of flights canceled by American Airlines due to staffing shortages

DALLAS - American Airlines is struggling to keep up with the surging travel demand and has had to cancel hundreds of flights. The cancellations are expected to continue through July for several reasons.

FlightAware.com showed more than 100 American Airlines flights were canceled Monday morning. About 30 of those were set to depart DFW Airport and 34 were inbound flights.

The widespread cancelations began on Saturday when 150 flights were canceled.

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The airline said the demand for summer travel came quicker than expected and there was unprecedented weather earlier this month at major hubs like DFW.

The Fort Worth-based airline and its vendors are also dealing with a labor shortage like so many other industries emerging from the pandemic.

FOX 4 talked to a few travelers who were stuck in DFW overnight.

"I just got a text saying my flight was canceled, that they rebooked me on a different flight with a layover for like four hours. That was it," said Dana Fenning, who is flying to Minnesota. "It’s frustrating but what can we do?"

"We just got a text on our phone that we’d have an hour delay and so that caused me to miss my connection flight," said Ariana Allen, who is flying to Ohio. "Things happen, so I’m good with it."

A spokeswoman for American Airlines said 1% of Americans operations have been cut for July but many are targeted cancellations in markets where customers can get on another flight.