On June 27 our American LGA to CLT flight failed to push back on time due to gate agents who started the boarding process late and were very slow in loading passengers (the equipment and crew were on board and ready). As a result, we sat on the ramp after pushback and lost our ATC take off slot. Then we had to go back to the gate to refuel. Missed our CLT connection and rebooked on a 6 PM departure. Waited on a First Officer and Flight Attendants. At 9 PM the FA's arrived and boarded. At 10 PM the FO arrived to cheers from waiting passengers. As soon as he punched in the flight was cancelled. I asked him why and he replied that the FA's had run out of hours. After a two hour wait we rebooked for the next morning. The hotel then sold our pre-paid guaranteed room and we slept in the lobby.
Point is, why would American operations not know in advance that on a projected 10 PM departure the FA's would go out of hours and cancel us hours earlier, giving us a chance to rebook to what became the last flight to MCO, a 9 PM departure?
Pure incompetence on the part of operations and management.
Where did the $54 billion we gave the airlines for COVID relief end up? Not in training or replacing laid off personnel/crews!
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