Delta Air Lines pilots are appealing directly to customers following weeks of travel issues, including flights being suddenly delayed and canceled across the country.
In an open letter posted on the Air Line Pilots Association website, the pilots admitted that they share customers' frustrations.
"We have been working on our days off, flying a record amount of overtime to help you get to your destination," the pilots wrote. "At the current rate, by this fall, our pilots will have flown more overtime in 2022 than in the entirety of 2018 and 2019 combined, our busiest years to date."
The pilots continued to say they are "disheartened" to witness the impact of disrupted travel plans, with customers waiting in long lines to rebook flights due to "scheduling issues that could have been prevented."
"We empathize and share in your frustration over the delays, cancellations, and disrupted travel plans you've experienced. We agree; it is unacceptable," the letter said.
Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, Delta cancelled more flights than any other major airline, citing staffing, weather, and air traffic control issues. Capt. Jason Ambrosi said the union has been cautioning Delta for months that it must exercise restraint when adding back flights as it rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It gives us no pleasure to tell management, 'We told you so,'" Ambrosi said in a statement.
The pilots concluded their letter by pledging to "go above and beyond to ensure the integrity of the operation." They also warned that "Delta's management needs to do the same" before customers "lose confidence in the Delta brand."
This is the first time Delta pilots have published an open letter to customers, but Ambrosi said it was necessary because the airline is scheduling more flights than it has the staff to operate.
In May, Delta announced it was "strategically decreasing" its flight schedule this summer to improve operational reliability. Despite the disruptions, and sky-high airfares, demand for air travel is booming.
"If you've flown on a plane lately, planes are very full and plane tickets are very expensive," Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday, NBC News reported.
Domestic airfare dropped this month to $390 round-trip, down from a high in mid-May of $410 round-trip, according to fare-tracker Hopper. Domestic airfare remains 18% higher than 2019 prices and up more than 40% from the beginning of the year. Meantime, international airfare continues to surge as prices reach over $1,000 per round-trip ticket.
Hopper said Americans should expect prices to remain higher than usual as key factors driving up airfare remain in flux -- including jet fuel, which costs more than double the price at this time in 2019.
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