American Airlines is requesting that more than 1,200 flight attendants take an unpaid leave of absence for the entire month of September.
The major carrier needs to shed roughly 4% of its flight attendant workforce for the upcoming month due to a drop in travel demand at the end of the summer season. The reductions are also driven by reduced flight schedules resulting from high fuel prices and broader economic pressures.
Workforce Distribution and Impact
These voluntary leaves are being spread out across the airline’s nationwide network of hubs and crew bases. The highest concentration of affected personnel is centered at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), which accounts for nearly a quarter of the total reductions. Other major operational hubs—including Charlotte, Chicago, Miami, and LaGuardia—will also see dozens of crew members stepping away for the month, while smaller bases like Washington National and Los Angeles will experience much smaller numbers of temporary leaves.
Program Details
- How It Works: The voluntary unpaid leave is being awarded based on employee seniority first, followed by lineholders.
- Benefits Retained: Flight attendants who opt into the leave will continue to accrue sick and vacation time, and they will keep their medical insurance and non-revenue travel privileges. However, they cannot pick up extra shifts during September.
- Union Response: The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), representing roughly 28,000 crew members at the airline, supports the move. It provides more flexible voluntary leave options and opens up opportunities for junior flight attendants to step up from reserve status and secure more flying time.
Despite scaling back its active crew numbers for September, American Airlines reassured passengers that sufficient reserve coverage remains in place to handle operations reliably.
