CHICAGO ¨C The winter storm that swept the U.S. last weekend did more than ground thousands of American Airlines flights. It strained the carrier¡¯s recovery system ¡ª from finding crews hotel rooms to rebuilding schedules after days of cancellations.
American, which marks its centennial this year, said the storm has caused more than 9,000 cancellations, the largest weather-related disruption in its history. The carrier¡¯s preliminary estimate is that the fallout will cut first-quarter revenue by $150 million to $200 million and slightly trim planned flying capacity.
CEO Robert Isom said American was hit harder than some rivals because ?the storm struck the heart of its system. Ice lingered around the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the airline¡¯s biggest hub, where nearly one-third of American¡¯s employees live, making it difficult ?for workers ?to reach the airport.
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