Alaska Airlines Cancels More Flights as Pilots Picket
Alaska Airlines continues to cancel more flights Monday. It was the fourth straight day of a protest by pilots picketing over contract negotiations with the airline that have lasted almost three years.
“We continue to appreciate the patience of our guests,” the airline said in a statement. “We apologize for the inconvenience and frustration we have caused because so many travel plans have been disrupted. We keep working hard to get everyone to their destinations as quickly as we can.”
The airline announced on its website Sunday morning that it had grounded 73 flights throughout the airline. That’s about 6% of its total operations. On Monday, another 39 flights were canceled, leaving almost 6,000 passengers looking for alternate travel options.
An average of about 7% of Alaska Airlines flights have been canceled each day since Friday, Alaska News Source reports.
Pilots with the Air Lines Pilots Association also protested last week in New York City outside the airline’s Investor Relations Day in a precursor of Friday’s protests which are now taking place in Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle.
The pilots are demanding more flexible schedules, increased job security and better pay.
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Notice how these union workers get to picket without getting fired, and get to pretend like they don’t get paid enough without disclosing what they already get. Why doesn’t the airline fight this in the public forum (where they’d probably put these pilots to shame)? Because the collective bargaining agreement won’t let the airline do that. So the union members get to act like they are getting screwed and then are protected from being revealed for what they are by the collective bargaining agreement. Back in the real world, if you’re underpaid you get a better offer from someone else.