SEATAC, Wash. — Canceled flights affected more than 15,000 Alaska Airlines passengers on Friday, and the airline warned there could be more disruption this weekend in the middle of the spring break travel season.
As of 9 a.m., the airline had canceled more than 120 flights system-wide.
“It’s pretty frustrating. We received a text message and an email that the flight will be canceled around midnight,” said passenger Matt Mullinix, who was trying to get to Belize with his family.
When KIRO 7 asked Alaska Airlines why the flights were being cancelled, the airline sent a statement of industrial action with its pilots’ union.
The statement also referred to a pilot shortage.
The Air Line Pilots Association said 1,500 pilots held informational posts in several cities on Friday.
They quietly lined the sidewalk in front of Seattle Tacoma International Airport and in front of the airline’s headquarters.
Union leaders said flights had not been canceled because of the picket line and that all participating pilots were off duty and not scheduled to fly.
“Flights are being canceled because they generally don’t have enough pilots,” said Alaska Capt. Joseph Youngerman, a union leader.
Youngerman said that on the first day of a new month, Alaska added more flights than it could staff at a time when many pilots were leaving.
“That shouldn’t have surprised her. It certainly came as no surprise to us that they will struggle to stay on schedule,” Youngerman said.
The union said that after three years of negotiations, Alaska is not offering a fair market deal that addresses pilots’ concerns about job security and scheduling.
Alaska Airlines declined to give an interview but wrote that a new pilot’s contract remains a top priority.
The airline says its captains make an average of $341,000 a year and that the airline has proposed paying new first officers $100 an hour.
The union said it was not planning any additional pickets.
The airline said more cancellations were possible this weekend.
Check the number of cancellations here.
The pilot shortage comes as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport officials say travel is expected to near pre-pandemic levels when spring break travel begins.
Volume is expected to be around 80% to 85% of pre-pandemic levels. That’s near the busiest travel days since August 2021.
The highest volume is expected with up to 145,000 passengers per day. The average in 2019 was around 160,000.
Alaska Airlines released the following statements regarding the cancellations and pickets:
Updated statement:
“Alaska Airlines is experiencing significant flight cancellations today. We are notifying our guests whose flights are affected and are working as quickly as possible to put things right and get them to their destinations. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.
“As of 9am this morning we have canceled more than 120 flights – around 9% of our total operations – affecting more than 15,300 guests. Further cancellations are possible over the weekend.
“It takes everyone in Alaska to run a successful and reliable operation. Today we fell short. We are grateful to all of the staff who work hard to get our guests where they need to go.”
Original statement:
“We know how important it is for our pilots to secure a new contract. As negotiations continue, we respect their right to engage in activities protected by law to voice their concerns.
“We are committed to a collective bargaining agreement that recognizes the contributions of our pilots and supports them with higher pay, job security and greater work flexibility – key issues they care about.
“Also, it is critical for Alaska Airlines to negotiate an agreement that will allow us to sustain growth and profitability for a strong future.” It is critical that we continue to provide competitive pay and benefits to all of our employees as we hire more, invest in new aircraft and fly our guests to new destinations. We believe that the goals of the company and the goals of our pilots are complementary.
“A new pilot contract remains a top priority for Alaska,” said Jenny Wetzel, Alaska Airlines vice president of industrial relations. “We have put a competitive package on the table that addresses the issues most important to our pilots. It is a significant financial investment in our pilot group while recognizing that we are still working to recover from the $2.3 billion in losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to complete the negotiations quickly so that our pilots can enjoy these new benefits as soon as possible.
“To support our pilots, we recently made a comprehensive proposal to the union. Among the highlights:
- We offer captains a maximum wage of US$280 per hour and a market-rate wage adjustment one year after signing the contract to keep our pilots’ wages competitive compared to their peers at other airlines. For reference, the average salary for an Alaskan captain is currently $341,000 per year. For First Officers, we have suggested an hourly rate of $100, which would be the #1 hiring position in the country.
- We are poised to increase our pilots’ job security: All aircraft operated by Alaska Air Group with more than 76 seats are flown by Alaska’s seniority list pilots.
- We would add significant flexibility in setting their schedules for our pilots as well as additional support for our reserve pilots. Our pilots currently work an average of 16 days a month.
“We have been in talks with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) for a new agreement since the summer of 2019, with a mutual break in talks of about a year as the industry weathered the pandemic. As a normal part of the process, in October 2021 we requested mediation from the National Committee for Mediation to advance the process and facilitate an agreement. We look forward to making further progress at our next arbitration meeting, scheduled for later this month.
“There are some flight cancellations related to a shortage of pilots which has resulted in operational challenges. We have notified our guests whose flights are affected and we apologize for the inconvenience. We are working as quickly as possible to fix things and get them to their destination.”
Air Line Pilots Association, International released the following statement regarding the pilot shortage:
“Alaska Airlines received a $2.3 billion bailout from American taxpayers during the pandemic to weather the economic downturn, retain its workforce and be ready to take advantage of the recovery we are now witnessing. It has one of the strongest balance sheets with industry-leading profit margins and emerged from the pandemic with less net debt than before.
“Despite this, Alaska Airlines has failed to properly plan for the increased travel demand and take the necessary steps to ensure pilots are attracted and retained. In fact, just this week, ALPA met with two corporate vice presidents who have made clear they have failed to adequately retain and build staff to handle a foreseeable return to flying.
“Now they are trying to distract the public from their mismanagement and blame the pilots who helped save their company. Pilot leaders have warned for years that pilots will choose other airlines due to an inadequate contract, which will only exacerbate existing staffing challenges.
“Hundreds of Alaskan pilots will today exercise their legal rights in five cities across the country to conduct non-stop informational pickets to highlight Alaska’s strong financial position and urge the company to get serious about closing the deal. Alaska pilots are more than ready.”
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