Alaska Airlines has canceled hundreds of flights due to a pilot shortage, which coincides with when pilots at the Seattle airport are hired.
Alaska Airlines is struggling at the moment.
I think we are going to see a lot more cancelations as the day progresses, because it is still very early on Saturday.
An Alaska Airlines spokesman stated the following yesterday.
“It takes everyone at Alaska to run a successful and reliable operation. Today, we fell short. We’re grateful for all employees who are working hard to get our guests to where they need to go.”
Airlines have been struggling with labor shortages in recent months, as we have seen a great increase in the demand of air travel, all while many employees left the industry during the Pandemic.
It's odd that these cancelations are at the beginning of the month, as pilots and flight attendants often max out their hours toward the end of the month, while in this case we're seeing staffing issues at the very beginning.
The worst operational day of Alaska Airlines' history happened on the same day that hundreds of pilots picketed around the country.
Alaska Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, have been negotiating for a new contract for three years, with several outstanding issues yet to be resolved. Issues around job security, stronger working rules, and enhanced quality-of-life provisions are included.
Captain Will McQuillen is the Chairman of the Alaska ALPA Master Executive Council.
“Alaska Airlines pilots have been crucial in the overwhelming success of this airline and have earned a new contract that recognizes our contributions. The contract improvements we seek are reasonable, and affordable, and will allow our airline to remain successful and competitive.
The provisions we want to improve exist at other carriers and have proven their viability without harming those companies. It is time for Alaska Airlines to do the right thing and bring our contract in line with our industry peers. Three years is too long to be negotiating a contract without reaching agreement.”
An interesting op-ed by an Alaska Airlines captain about why he isn't picketing with his colleagues can be found here. I think it would be awkward for a pilot to show up at work and write something like that.
I don't want to draw conclusions, but rather share what we know. On the same day that hundreds of Alaska Airlines pilots decided to picket, Alaska had a very bad day. The first day of the month is when hours for pilots are usually set, meaning there are in theory the most available pilots.
There isn't a formal strike happening here as that would be announced. It is hard to imagine that the two events are unrelated.
Alaska Airlines has a rough start to the month of April. The airline has canceled nearly 200 flights in the past 24 hours or so, and I think we'll see more cancelations throughout the day, since it's still early. Alaska Airlines pilots are on strike over contract negotiations. More than one-third of pilots are at some bases.
What do you think about Alaska Airlines?
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