NEW YORK —

JetBlue is going hostile in its effort to acquire Spirit, the latest twist in an industry battle for the low-cost carrier.

Spirit previously rejected a takeover offer from JetBlue, favoring an earlier deal to merge with fellow budget airline Frontier.

Now, JetBlue is appealing directly to Spirit's shareholders, urging them to vote against the Frontier deal while launching its own all-cash offer of $30 per share.

JetBlue said in a statement Monday that its offer represented a "60% premium to the value of the Frontier transaction." The airline added that it was willing to negotiate a $33-per-share deal if Spirit agrees to provide information about its business that JetBlue claims has been withheld.

"The Spirit Board failed to provide us the necessary diligence information it had provided Frontier and then summarily rejected our proposal, which addressed its regulatory concerns, without asking us even a single question about it," JetBlue said in a letter addressed to Spirit shareholders. "The Spirit Board based its rejection on unsupportable claims that are easily refuted."

Spirit's rejection

Spirit rejected a $33 a share cash offer from JetBlue on April 2, saying that it didn't believe a merger with the company would be cleared by regulators, and that "given this substantial completion risk, we believe JetBlue's economic offer is illusory."

Instead, the Spirit board said it was sticking with a cash and stock deal it reached in January with Frontier. That deal was valued at that time at $25.83 for each Spirit share. But Frontier shares have since fallen.

Shares of Frontier were slightly higher in premarket trading Monday on news of JetBlue's hostile takeover attempt, but even with the rise, its offer for Spirit is worth less than $20 a share. Shares of Spirit were also higher on the JetBlue news, while JetBlue shares were narrowly lower.

Spirit did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Creating a bigger competitor

If Spirit and Frontier were to combine, the new airline would leapfrog JetBlue and Alaska Air in the number of miles flown by paying passengers, according to 2021 statistics, putting it behind the four major airlines that control about 80% of the nation's air traffic — American, Delta, United and Southwest Airlines.

Both Spirit and Frontier operate as ultra-low-cost carriers, with very low base fares and extra charges for just about anything else a passenger needs, including carry-on baggage.

They depend much more on bargain-hunting leisure travelers and carry fewer business travelers than their larger rivals. Spirit argues that the fact that JetBlue charges higher fares on average than Spirit or Frontier is another reason that regulators are unlikely to accept a deal.

"Spirit believes that merging with Frontier will enable the combined ultra-low-cost carrier business to achieve scale, improve operational reliability, have increased relevance to consumers, and do an even better job of delivering ultra-low fares to more consumers and competing more effectively against the Big Four carriers, as well as against JetBlue," Spirit said two weeks ago when it rejected JetBlue.

But JetBlue argued at that time that its fares are lower than those on the four major airlines, and when it enters a new route, fares for the major carriers are cut by about 16% because of the competition. The company said that is greater than the reduction in fares by the big four when either Spirit or Frontier enter a market.

Spirit's reputation

Although passengers might like low fares, many don't like the experience of flying with low-cost airlines.

Spirit had by far the highest number of complaints, with 13.25 complaints per 100,000 passengers, from January through September 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. JetBlue had the second most complaints on that basis with 6.85, while Frontier had the third-most in the industry with 5.76. Frontier had by far the worst rate of complaints in the same period of 2020 when it recorded 60.24 complaints per 100,000 customers.

Frontier and Spirit also had the industry's worst customer satisfaction ratings, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Meanwhile, JetBlue scored at the top or near the top in customer satisfaction rankings in different categories of travelers in a recent survey of 7,000 airline passengers by JD Power.

Antitrust concerns

The Biden administration has been much more active in challenging mergers and other combinations with the stated goal of promoting greater competition.

For example, JetBlue recently entered into an alliance with American Airlines that allows the two carriers to book passengers on each other's flights. In September, the Justice Department sued to end the agreement, saying it was bad for competition and airfares in the Northeast.

Both American and JetBlue have argued that passengers benefit from the agreement and are fighting the suit. Spirit argues that as long as JetBlue's alliance with American remains in place, there is no chance that JetBlue would be allowed by regulators to buy Spirit.

Canceled flights, long lines, and overall chaos. Airlines are trying to keep up as travel demand goes through the roof following pandemic-related restrictions.

“When the pandemic hit, for most airlines around the country, our traffic volumes dropped by 85, 90, sometimes more than 90 percent,” Captain Marc Champion, the managing director of flight training at United Airlines, said. “With the traffic recovery, we’ve had to recover a lot of people that we had been placed on the sideline, in some cases some carriers had furloughed, to get airline operations back to where they were pre-pandemic.”

Fewer pilots to staff the flights.

Consulting firm Oliver Wyman estimates that in most scenarios, there will be a global gap of 34,000 pilots by 2025.

“We can't hire enough pilots to keep up with how many airplanes we have to fly,” Captain M’Lis Ward with United Airlines said. She is also an evaluator at the training center and has been flying for more than 30 years.

It’s not a new problem. Airlines were looking to fill the pilot pipeline before the pandemic.

At United Airlines’ expanding training center, pilots get first-hand experience in simulators. United plans to train around 5,000 pilots by 2030 through their United Aviate Academy, their pilot training school. Captain Champion said United is pretty well staffed currently.

This summer, there have been waves of canceled flights due to weather and staff shortages. American Airlines cut three destinations from its network in June. The same month, Delta Airlines cut flights to seven cities.

But there are even more efforts to tap into groups who may not see it as a career option.

“The push right now for women and people of color and minorities also…is not just because this is the right thing to do,” Captain Ward said. “It’s because there are a lot of talented pilots out there that don't have the opportunity.”

She says finances are part of it.

Captain Ward was reportedly the first black woman captain in commercial aviation.

“I'm not going to say that I felt incredibly welcomed as a woman of color…when I first got hired,” she said. “Thirty years ago to today, it's completely opposite.”

Seven percent of all airline pilots are women. Only one percent are women of color, according to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nonprofits advocating for more minority representation in aviation are becoming more common.

“If you don't see it, it's hard to visualize yourself doing it. For women, for me, I would say that's the biggest barrier even now,” Angel Hughes, the founder of nonprofit Sisters of the Skies, said.

The nonprofit provides mentorship and scholarships to women of color interested in flying.

“These companies, various companies, everybody wants pilots,” Hughes said.

“If you look at the demand for airline employees over the course of the next decade, if we don't cast a wider net and get underrepresented groups more excited about careers in aviation, we’re never going to be able to find the numbers of people that we need to staff our airline. Both at the airports and on board our aircraft. So that's a business imperative for us,” Captain Champion said.

For airlines, getting people interested is just step one. Captain Ward and Hughes strive to offer opportunities to those who may or may not know the opportunity is there.

“What’s the end result? We have more great pilots. It's not taking away an opportunity from anyone. It’s adding opportunity for everyone,” Captain Ward said. The United Aviate Academy – a pilot career development program – hopes to have at least half of the pilots trained at the academy be women or people of color.

“The pilot pipeline starts at the point where we are incentivizing and motivating people to be pilots, professional pilots. It's something that starts in high schools, junior high schools,” Captain Champion said.

American Airlines told CNN on Thursday that it is cutting back some of its flights this fall after building toward returning to pre-pandemic levels.

According to CNN, American Airlines will cut 2% of its flights in September. Philadelphia will be a heavily impacted hub with 3% fewer American flights in September, growing to 5% in October.

The airline industry has become strained this year in returning to pre-pandemic levels. The Transportation Security Administration reports about a 10% drop in the number of passengers screened this summer compared to 2019.

Meanwhile, the federal government said it has received a number of reports from consumers about delayed or changed flights. In response, the Transportation Department is considering changes that would make it easier for consumers to be refunded for changed flights.

An American Airlines spokesperson told CNN it will "size our airline for the resources we have available and to build additional buffer into the remainder of our summer schedule."

Major U.S. airlines have updated their customer service agreements following pressure from the Biden administration to step up consumer rights in the wake of a summer plagued by flight cancellations and delays.

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue and Southwest have all published updates to their customer service policies this week.

The policies have been rewritten in clearer language with tweaks in some cases to when passengers can receive meal and hotel vouchers if a flight is canceled or delayed.

In United's case, the airline is now offering meal vouchers for flights delayed more than three hours when the previous threshold was four hours. The changes were published online.

The airline also outlined its hotel voucher policy for unexpected overnight stays caused by something within the airline's control. If vouchers are not available for their partner hotels, the airline said customers can submit a receipt to the airline's Customer Care Team for reimbursement up to $200.

In a letter earlier this month, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had asked airlines to reexamine their customer service plans and provide meals when flights are delayed more than three hours.

"A lot of the airlines have really upped their game and I think committed to some consumer protections in writing that they hadn't previously," said Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg in an interview with CNN. "We're going to continue to work with them."

Delta Air Lines said in a statement to CNN that the airline's policies already aligned with Buttigieg's requests, but that they've updated their language to make it clearer.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian wrote back to Secretary Buttigieg outlining steps the airline has taken to mitigate cancellations.

Bastian said the airline provides "full and timely refunds to eligible passengers."

"Since the beginning of 2020 we've refunded over 11 million tickets totaling $6 billion, of which 20% has taken place in 2022," he wrote.

He also said they've hired 20,000 new employees since the beginning of 2021.

In his request to airlines, Buttigieg also asked carriers to provide hotel rooms in the event a cancellation causes passengers to need to wait overnight.

American Airlines is among those offering hotel rooms for air travelers in such situations so long as the cancellations aren't caused by something beyond the airline's control, like weather. The airline also outlines that it will cover transportation to and from the hotel.

Southwest also restricts hotel stays to cancellations beyond its control and says it'll be provided "upon request if available."

For more information, the revised policies are available here: American Airlines | Delta Air Lines | United Airlines | JetBlue | Southwest.

The moves come on the eve of the Labor Day rush and a vow from the Department of Transportation to roll out an online dashboard that more easily allows passengers to view their rights as consumers with comparative information on each airline.

Data from FlightAware shows U.S.-based air carriers have canceled more than 45,000 flights since the start of June. On Tuesday, more than 800 flights within, to, or from the United States were canceled and the FAA imposed ground stops at all three of the DC area's major airports as severe weather moved through.

The airlines continue to face pressure over how the summer went, including from 38 state attorneys general who on Wednesday sent a letter to Congress asking for more power to take legal action against the airlines, which they say "have systematically failed to live up to their responsibilities to their customers."

Captain Dennis Tajer has taken to the skies as an airline pilot for over 20 years. He’s also the spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association and represents 15,000 American Airline pilots.

"This has been in the air for a long time and no one did anything about it," said Tajer.

He says the pandemic exacerbated a staffing problem carriers knew about by offering early retirements in what he calls a money-saving move and then failed to plan for a return to normal.

"They kept us from collapsing they weren't ready for the recovery," said Tajer.

Airlines were looking to save money during the 2020 pandemic shutdowns. The federal government stepped in with aid under the condition airlines couldn’t lay people off or furlough anyone.

"And then they took a hundred airplanes at American, and they retired them permanently. They didn't train pilots to go on new airplanes, and of those who retired, they did not train their replacements," said Tajer.

But things changed a year later as Americans started to travel again, and airlines added routes.

In 2021, the airline industry expected an increase of 42% in routes compared to 2019, according to data from Cirium Innovata a database tracking flight schedules across airlines.

More flights mean more pilots to get passengers to their destinations. But hiring more pilots doesn’t come without turbulence. In the past, airlines have turned to the Air Force as a pipeline to bring in pilots. But they’re also facing a shortage.

A congressional report in 2019 warned the Pentagon faced a shortfall of over 3,000 pilots, which it states has been "several years in the making."

"It was rare at the majors depending on the airline, to find someone who wasn't prior military. It was just the pipeline that was there everyone knew with the fall of the wall and the Soviet Union collapsing that the military wound down," said Tajer.

The FAA requires commercial pilots to log 1,500 flight hours for certification. And obtaining a commercial license after that isn’t cheap.

We looked at three different flight schools. A commercial pilot’s license price ranges between $30,000 to nearly $100,000.

"What young man or woman is thinking, 'Hey, I'm gonna go drop a $100,000, maybe make it, maybe not for a job that will come,'" Tajer said. "And go I'll be laid off, there will be bankruptcies, I'll be unemployed if you're looking at this as a business decision other than I just wanna fly what a horrid investment."

But some airlines are taking matters into their own hands. Phoenix-based Mesa Airlines recently purchased nearly 30 planes to help pilots build time toward their airline transport pilot license while trying to build a recruiting pipeline.

And American, United, Delta, Southwest, Frontier, and others are spearheading similar initiatives. Washington is also working toward a solution. In July, Republican Nebraska Senator, Deb Fischer, introduced the Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act. It would raise the retirement age from 65 to 67 — though pilots would only be allowed to fly within the U.S. — with a new emphasis on solving the issue.

Tajer believes it’s going to take time to get more new pilots in the cockpit.

"So, it's gonna take a while, and there's no magic switch. It takes a series of switches and everybody working together to get it done," said Tajer.

This means, for now, travelers and pilots are left having to pack their patience.

Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here.

President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday will announce a proposal for a new rule that would examine mandating airlines to compensate and cover expenses for customers facing "controllable airline cancellations" or delays, according to a White House official."When an airline causes a flight cancellation or delay, passengers should not foot the bill," Buttigieg said in a statement. "This rule would, for the first time in US history, propose to require airlines to compensate passengers and cover expenses such as meals, hotels, and rebooking in cases where the airline has caused a cancellation or significant delay."Biden and Buttigieg will also announce that the department is launching an expanded Airline Customer Service Dashboard at FlightRights.gov, which shows which airlines "offer cash compensation, provide travel credits or vouchers, or award frequent flyer miles and cover the costs for other amenities," according to the official.No airlines currently provide cash compensation for preventable cancellations or delays, just one airline company guarantees frequent flyer miles, and two provide travel credits and vouchers, according to the official. Mandates for such compensation policies already exist in Canada and the European Union, the official added.The proposed rule would also establish what constitutes a "controllable cancellation or delay."The proposal from the Biden administration comes as Buttigieg fends off criticism over a chain of flight cancellations at the end of last year and beginning of this year, as well as what Buttigieg himself has called an "uptick in serious close calls" between planes landing and taking off.Amid last summer's flight cancellations, Buttigieg called CEOs of the 10 largest airline companies and pressed them on stress testing their schedule and improving customer service. He put pressure on the CEOs in a letter, saying he would publish charts showing which airlines guaranteed which forms of compensation for canceled or delayed flights. Seven of those airlines -- including Southwest -- changed their policies before they were posted, and two followed suit soon after.Ten airlines now guarantee meals, with nine guaranteeing hotel accommodations, when a delay or cancellation is the airlines, fault, according to the DOT.

Potentially abysmal air travel interruptions were narrowly avoided this week when wireless carriers made a last-minute change to their planned 5G rollout in response to fears that new cell service towers could interfere with a key component on passenger jets that allows them to safely land in low visibility conditions.

Warnings of mass flight cancellations came as AT&T, Verizon and the airline industry hashed out a deal to delay 5G deployment around major airports. And on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration cleared a greater number of commercial airliners to fly in the situations where pilots consider possible 5G interference to be the most dangerous. Now, nearly 80% of the United States' entire commercial airliner fleet has that clearance.

In the end, crisis seemed to be mostly averted. No planes fell out of the sky. And — with a few exceptions — air travel stayed mostly on schedule.

But we're not in the clear yet.

The agreement to delay 5G deployment around airports is only a temporary fix, and it's not clear if all the negotiating parties have a specific deadline they're working toward. A significant number of planes still haven't been cleared to land in those most dangerous situations. Regional air carriers have been crying out that they've been left out of discussions and are still facing long- and short-term impacts. And, to the public's knowledge, a permanent solution to the issue still hasn't been settled on.

Here's everything we do — and don't — know about the situation.

What's the deal with the FAA 'clearing' some planes but not others?

Radar altimeters are devices that use radio waves to gauge how far an aircraft is off the ground, and they're essential for commercial airliners to land in bad weather. At the root of the ongoing problem is the fact that 5G frequencies Verizon and AT&T have just deployed, known as the C-band, are very near to the frequencies used by radar altimeters, sparking concerns about interference.

Over the past two weeks, radar altimeter manufacturers have scrambled to "evaluate data from the wireless companies to determine how robust each model" of radar altimeter is and whether it can still function even when flying near an active 5G antenna, according to the FAA.

In a statement Thursday, the FAA said it issued more approvals that allow 78% of the U.S. commercial airliner fleet to perform low-visibility landings at airports near where wireless companies deployed 5G. Essentially, regulators said that they now deemed it safe for aircraft that used one of 13 types of radar altimeters.

The approved models include:

• All Boeing 717, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787, MD-10/-11 jets
• All Airbus A300, A310, A319, A320, A330, A340, A350 and A380 models
• Some Embraer 170 and 190 regional jets

But of course, more than 20% of the United States' commercial aircraft fleet hasn't been approved. And the FAA warned that it anticipates that "some altimeters will be too susceptible to 5G interference."

"To preserve safety, aircraft with those altimeters will be prohibited from performing low-visibility landings where 5G is deployed because the altimeter could provide inaccurate information," the agency said.

The agency also warned that the buffers that are reducing 5G signal strength around certain airports are essential for keeping safe operations going.

It is not clear, however, why the FAA and altimeter manufacturers could not have done these evaluations sooner.

On its website, the FAA states that over the past two weeks it has "received vital 5G" data that made these decisions possible and "facilitated data sharing" between altimeter manufacturers and wireless companies.

What's the deal with regional carriers?

They're still in limbo, according to Faye Malarkey Black, who as Regional Airline Association president represents the carriers connecting larger hubs to dozens of smaller cities around the country.

Regional flights have brands like American Eagle, Delta Connection, and United Express, and they're contracted out to companies or subsidiaries like Envoy, ExpressJet, Republic Airways and SkyWest Airlines.

And for them — "crisis has not been averted," Black warned.

Bombardier jets, which are frequently flown by regional carriers, haven't gotten the green light for their altimeters. And Black said the rural airports will still "take a big hit to [their] operation when weather rolls in."

"We will never compromise on safety," Black wrote on Twitter. "Flights will be grounded. Near term = highly disruptive. Long term = small [communities] will have less choice & less service."

How did we get here and who's to blame?

We're not sure. The airline industry has known for years that 5G was coming. Part of the issue may be an ongoing power struggle between the FAA and the Federal Communications Commission, which is the United States' referee for all things radio spectrum-related and sold off the band of spectrum at issue to wireless companies for a whopping $80 billion last year.

The FAA and FCC had been aware that airlines believed a travel disaster could be imminent if 5G were deployed without addressing the altimeter concerns. Wireless carriers had largely dismissed those concerns, however, and it wasn't until international airlines began canceling flights ahead of the 5G deployment on Wednesday that everyone began to announce significant strides in finding a solution.

And that's how we got to where we are now, with temporary buffer zones that prevent 5G from being deployed near certain airports — we don't know exactly which ones — and a massive scramble to hash out exactly how much the altimeters will be impacted by this new cell service.

As far as who is to blame, Verizon and AT&T pinned much of the blame on the Federal Aviation Administration in statements on Tuesday.

But the FAA has been adamant that the aviation industry's concerns are real — and with the industry already reeling from the global pandemic — airlines are desperately hoping to avoid giving people yet another reason not to fly.

Emirates president Sir Tim Clark did not mince words about what he sees as the issue, placing blame on the entire structure of the U.S. system, saying "this is one of the most delinquent, utterly irresponsible" situations that he's seen in his aviation career.

He added that the "risks and dangers" should have already been evaluated.

How do we fix all this?

It's not clear. Discussion among wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon as well as the airline industry and federal regulators are still ongoing.

We're not sure if or when they will publicly announce a definitive path forward, but decisions will have to be made, especially considering the 5G "buffer zones" around major air hubs are still only temporary.

Tom Wheeler, who served as chair of the FCC from 2013 to 2017, wrote some suggestions in a November piece for The Brookings Institution, where he said the concerns over spectrum interference could be allayed by making adjustments to the altimeters themselves.

The problem? That's likely to cost billions of dollars — billions that no corporation wants to take out of its own pockets.

"There are only three sources of such funds for the aviation industry. The government could pay out of the almost $82 billion generated by the sale of licenses to use the [5G spectrum at issue]; that would probably require an act of Congress," Wheeler wrote. "The wireless industry could pay an additional tariff on top of the billions already spent for spectrum the government said would be ready for use on December 5. The aviation industry, having known for some time of the new 5G allocation, could pay to fix the offending altimeters."

Wheeler, for his part, also placed much of the blame for this debacle on a lack of leadership and a lack of a national spectrum policy.

What's next?

We're still waiting for updates on the negotiations from the FAA, FCC and all the other involved parties. It's not clear if there is a firm deadline they're working toward, nor is it clear how long the "temporary" 5G buffer zones will stay in place.

Airlines say that while they don't have a final resolution in the major disruption to global flights this week, after fears that 5G would disrupt aircraft communications, executives say they are in a better place. Industry fears over 5G disruptions appear to have subsided, for now.

As CNN reported, executives told investors Thursday that a threat to operations from the rollout of 5G technology now feels less serious.

The CEO of American Airlines, Doug Parker, told CNN, "It's taken a while to get to the right spot, but I feel like we're in the right spot." Parker said, "I don't think you're going to see any material disruption going forward because of this."

Long-haul carrier Emirates says it will also resume its Boeing 777 flights to the U.S. after halting its use of the aircraft there over concerns new 5G services in America could interfere with airplane technology that measures altitude, the Associated Press reported.

International carriers that rely heavily on the wide-body Boeing 777, and other Boeing aircraft, canceled early flights or switched to different planes Wednesday. That was after warnings from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Chicago-based plane maker over possible interference with radio altimeters.

The FAA gave approval late Wednesday for more types of planes to land in low visibility near 5G signals, including the Boeing 777.

DENVER, Colo. (KMGH) — United Airlines and Delta Air Lines announced Thursday that they are forced to cancel Christmas Eve flights.

In a statement, United blamed the cancellations on staffing shortages due to COVID-19.

“The nationwide spike in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation,” the statement said. “As a result, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel some flights."

United said it's notifying customers in advance of them arriving at the airport. The airline added that it is working to re-book as many passengers as possible.

A spokesperson for Delta also said COVID-19 is causing staffing shortages, but added that potential weather problems are also to blame.

The cancellations couldn't come at a worse time. Millions of people are expected to travel for the holidays.

This story was originally reported by Sydney Isenberg on thedenverchannel.com.

A Southwest Airlines employee was taken to a Dallas hospital on Saturday after being assaulted by a passenger at Love Field Airport, according to the airline.

A female operations agent was "verbally and physically" assaulted by a female passenger as a flight from Dallas to La Guardia Airport in New York City was boarding, Southwest told CNN in an email. The employee was transported to a local hospital and released on Saturday evening, according to the email. She is at home resting, the airline said.

"Southwest Airlines maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding any type of harassment or assault and fully support our employee as we cooperate with local authorities regarding this unacceptable incident," the email said.

Southwest said the passenger was taken into custody by local law enforcement. CNN has reached out to the Dallas Police Department for more information but has not heard back.

The incident is one among many verbal and physical attacks on flight staff that have been reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. Flight crews have reported 5,114 unruly passenger incidents since the start of 2021, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. FAA data shows more than 70% of incidents were over masks.

The incidents have ranged from shouting to spitting and physical altercations with airline staff.

In May this year a Southwest Airlines passenger who allegedly punched a flight attendant was fined more than $26,000, the FAA said.

The agency announced earlier this month it had fined 10 violent airline passengers a total of nearly $250,000.

DENVER, Colo. — Airlines are struggling to keep up with demand.

American Airlines has canceled more than 1,800 flights across the country since Friday. It's the second major airline to experience major problems in the last three weeks. Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights in mid-October.

“You can go back all the way to start of the summer travel season, we saw this roll across the airlines from United to American, and recently we saw Southwest,” said Skyler McKinley, a representative with AAA. “Every airline is struggling with the same factors. There’s also a lot of uncertainty. Right now, airlines are going above and beyond— allowing passengers to cancel their flights in the pandemic.”

Not only does American Airlines blame staffing shortages for the issues, but severe winds in its largest hub of Dallas Fort Worth

American Airlines expects to have 1,800 flight attendants to return this week, and more to be on the job by Dec. 1.

With the holiday season around the corner, experts are aware of the worries travelers have. But there is some good news, McKinley says.

“Right now is where you want to see the hiccups,” McKinley said. “Because seeing them now generally is a sign that the airlines are balancing for everything else. When they know they’ll have a surge in demand, they’re going be able to rise to meet it.”

According to Business and Economic Journalist Marc Stewart, airline apps and early ticket purchases will be a traveler's best friend.

“Take the first flight of the day, yes it may mean getting up early, but the airlines try to keep an online schedule first thing in the morning,” Stewart said. “If your flight is canceled or delayed, oftentimes you’ll be put on another flight or another connecting flight and use the app instead of waiting in line or on hold, if you go to the app on your phone the airlines have already provided you another option.”

Mckinley said problems with air travel won't be fixed overnight. He expects them to persist for the next couple of years.

A Buzz Lightyear action figure journeyed to infinity and beyond before being reunited with his owner thanks to the efforts of ramp agent who sent the hero back in style.

After landing at Dallas Love Field Airport, Hagen and his family were driving away in a rental car when they realized Hagen’s Buzz Lightyear was left behind back on the plane. But the plane was already back in the air long before they realized the predicament.

When the aircraft arrived at Little Rock, Arkansas, where it was scheduled to terminate for the night, a ramp agent named Jason discovered the space marine among the seats.

Jason found a name written on the bottom of Buzz's boot: “Hagen.” With some help, Jason learned there was only one “Hagen” who had traveled on that aircraft that day. Jason came up with a plan to get Buzz home.

A few days later, Hagen received a special surprise in the mail. Not only was his buddy back, but he arrived in a hand-decorated box, complete with a letter describing Buzz's mission at Southwest Airlines, and pictures too.

“There’s definitely not enough good in this world, and for someone to take the time out of their day to do that for strangers means the world to us.” –Ashley, Hagen’s mom. #SouthwestHeart

This content is imported from Facebook.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Related video: 6-year-old boy honored for alerting families to apartment fire

HEBRON, Ky. — The Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport is holding a job fair Thursday in order to keep operations running smoothly at the airport.

RELATED: Headed to CVG? Leisure travel is driving passenger numbers toward 2019 levels

Positions with airlines, the TSA, DHL, Graeters Ice Cream and more will be featured at the fair. Part-time, full-time and temporary positions will be available.

"Anywhere from customer service and food and beverage retail, aircraft maintenance, air cargo positions, there’s even driving, operating equipment types of positions, airline support and that’s kind of what you’re getting there," Mindy Kershner, CVG's spokesperson, said. "We need those airline support jobs filled so we can keep this travel demand and passengers happy.”

Officials said if you are interested to bring your resume, expect to talk to employers about the role and be prepared to apply for positions.

The job fair runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at the ValuPark Lot at 2462 Donaldson Hwy. in Hebron, Ky.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened fewer passengers Monday than it had in the past 10 years, a spokesperson says.

According to TSA public affairs spokesperson Lisa Farbstein, department officers screened 154,080 people at checkpoints across the country on Monday. On the same date in 2019, TSA screened 2.3 million people.

The numbers highlight just how badly the coronavirus pandemic has crippled the airline industry. Three of the U.S.' largest airliners —

American,

Delta

and

United

— have seen significant reductions in their stock prices. United has seen nearly a 50 percent drop in its stock price in the past month, and American Airlines has lost nearly 30 percent.

All three airlines have said they are cutting back on staffing due to the crisis.

Delta

said Sunday that more than 20,000 employees have volunteered to take short-term unpaid leaves of absences.

The CARES Act — the coronavirus stimulus package signed into law by President Donald Trump on Friday — allocates up to $58 billion in financial relief for airlines. On Monday,

Reuters

reported that American Airlines would seek up to $12 billion in federal funding, including $6 billion in payroll grants and $6 billion in loans. American has more employees than any other U.S. airlines.