re: American Airlines cuts service to 3 cities

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Where are the staffing issues? Locally or pilots and stewardess’?

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I think they aren't that serious about adding more employees and improving their service. I suspect the airlines are aware of forecasts that business travel will dip again soon.

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It's a perfect storm that many repliers have addressed. The large investment to become a pilot wasn't worth the many years of sub-minimal wages and time away from home to the millenials hence less people getting into aviation. Add to it the increased flight time (experience) to get to the majors, and then throw in Covid where the bean counters offered early outs to many of the senior work force to save $$, not just pilots and FAs, but mechanics, agents, crew schedulers, etc. and the reluctance to start hiring before it was too late and you end up with an extremely understaffed industry. Delta pilots have flown more overtime in the last year than the 2.5 previious years combined. They would like to hire 2000 pilots a year but they have no way to train that many, short in both manpower and facilities.

The issue isn't just affecting US airlines either. A week ago KLM was flying airplanes full out Amsterdam and then ferrying them back empty because the airport was overcrowded.