American Airlines has started the process of compensating flight attendants after Winter Storm Fern, as tensions flare between the union and management.
Over 9,000 of its flights were canceled, marking the largest weather-related disruption in its history, the airline said. A union for flight attendants said some crew were left “stranded in airport terminals and hotel lobbies with no accommodations.”
In a Saturday letter to flight attendants, seen by Business Insider, the airline outlined how to make compensation claims.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the union, told members on Sunday that this letter “constitutes the company’s acknowledgment that it failed to uphold the Collective Bargaining Agreement during Winter Storm Fern.”
Both letters refer to compensation for delays in being assigned a hotel, and say that flight attendants can be reimbursed if they paid for hotel rooms or transportation.
American Airlines had the most cancellations of any carrier during Winter Storm Fern — in part because of disruption at its main hub, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. There were four inches of snowfall and freezing rain, per the National Weather Service. The impact was outsize because it doesn’t have the same infrastructure for dealing with winter weather as airports in the northeast.
APFA’s letter also referred to compensation for “illegally rescheduling” reserve flight attendants to work during flex days or golden days. The latter is effectively a contractually protected day off that may not be moved without mutual consent, per the APFA.
APFA referred to a part of the collective bargaining agreement that says flight attendants can be paid time and a half for the whole trip if they have to work on days off. Some crew scheduling errors could lead to 50% extra pay, it said.
“Now that the storm is largely behind us, the focus turns to holding the company accountable by ensuring management compensates Flight Attendants for the violations,” the union told members.
It added that it expects the airline to provide “appropriate compensation without delay.”
American Airlines could not be reached for immediate comment.
Last week, APFA also said that flight attendants would receive double pay for any flights last Wednesday, as American worked to get its operations back on track as the storm subsided.
Tensions between the union and airline management have intensified as American’s profits have lagged those of competitors.
American last week reported a pre-tax profit of $352 million for 2025, down 80% from the year before. While United Airlines’ adjusted pre-tax profit was $4.6 billion, and Delta Air Lines’ $5 billion for the year.
APFA subsequently called for new leadership, citing “a pattern of failure under the leadership of CEO Robert Isom and the American Airlines board of directors.”
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