Delta Air Lines pilots said they are flying overtime and on their days off amid chaos in the industry.- They said in a letter to flyers that they agree that flight delays and cancellations are "unacceptable."
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Pilots wrote an open letter to customers on Thursday, where they said they were just as frustrated as passengers by disruption in the industry.
"We are disheartened when we witness the impact of your disrupted travel plans," they said.
It asked customers to remember that the pilots prioritize safety, and that "we have been working on our days off, flying a record amount of overtime to help you get to your destination."
Airlines globally have been battling an industry-wide shortage of pilots, flight attendants and airport staff, at a time when demand for travel is reaching its post-pandemic peak.
Many shortages predated the pandemic, but were made worse when pilots were let go, or asked to retire as airlines battled to stay afloat with flights grounded.
The result has been long queues at airports, lost luggage and frustration as airports and air executives rejig their flight schedules to cope with the demand.
In May, Delta announced that it was canceling around 100 daily departures in July and August, to minimize disruption. Other airlines like American, which grounded 100 regional routes because it doesn't have enough pilots to fly them, have been forced to do the same.
"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 letter said.
"We empathize and share in your frustration over the delays, cancellations, and disrupted travel plans you've experienced. We agree; it is unacceptable."
The pilots also said Delta leaders need to work harder so customers do not "lose confidence" in the airline.
"As we welcome you aboard, we will continue to go above and beyond to ensure the integrity of the operation. Delta's management needs to do the same before you lose confidence in the Delta brand."
Insider has contacted Delta for comment about the letter.
Airline executives are having to get creative in order to mitigate the shortage. Offering pay rises, relaxing some training requirements, and adjusting how they recruit.
In an investor call last fall, Delta CEO Ed Bastien said the airline has been able to benefit from what he called a "juniority benefit". Needing to cut costs during the pandemic the airline targeted buyouts at older, more senior pilots, then replaced them with younger, and therefore cheaper hires once demand for travel started to take off.