American Airlines Passengers Facing Surge of Cancellations/Delays

COLUMBIA, S.C. (CNN) – The turbulence between American Airlines and its pilots union is causing a surge of cancellations and delays. More than 100 flights were canceled Monday, according to FlightStats.com. That brings the total number of cancellations to 570 since the contract dispute began more than a week ago. Less than half of the airline’s flights have been on time since September 16th. In bankruptcy court, American won the right to throw out the existing pilots’ contract. Pilots are now required to fly more hours, and the airline is proposing freezing or terminating their retirement plan. American disputes the number of cancellations, and blames questionable maintenance complaints, along with an increase in sick calls from pilots.