Even though all aircraft have redundant systems, they are intended for backup. Sometimes repairs can be accomplished quickly, but in some cases, the troubleshooting and repairs are complex and require that the aircraft be taken out of service for a prolonged period of time. When this happens, the folks at our Operations Center try to find another aircraft to operate the flight. If a spare isn't available, our Operations Center will determine whether the passengers can be accommodated on another flight, or even on another airline. Although two flights are now impacted, we have assured all of our passengers that they will arrive at their destination.
Severe weather is also a major cause of cancellations.
When severe weather is predicted for one of our airports and we know it's likely to disrupt our schedule or our ability to fly safely, we will often cancel flights in advance. This allows our reservations staff to rebook passengers on other flights or through other cities. These cancellations ensure that the least number of passengers are affected, and that we can have our aircraft and crews in place to resume normal operations as soon as the weather improves. Some weather systems, such as thunderstorms, are sometimes difficult to predict. These storms form rapidly, do not clear up quickly, and can be much more severe than predicted.