Those traveling in and out of Alaska this weekend should prepare to bring their patience. Approximately 120 Alaska Airlines flights were canceled on Friday, affecting 15,300 passengers, and it looks like Saturday will also be as difficult for travelers in the Northwest, with over 77 flights by the Seattle-based airlines already canceled. Sunday cancellations for the main air carrier serving Alaska are beginning to build as well.
The customer service desk in the N Terminal in Seattle is crowded with customers trying to make alternate arrangements Saturday morning. About 11 percent of all of the Alaska Airlines Saturday flights were canceled as of 7 am on Saturday.
FlightAware’s live flight cancellation page is at this link.
The disruption is due to worker shortages as pilots picketed the airlines in locations around the west, including at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Three years of negotiations are, according to union reports, getting nowhere.
Pilots from other cities and other airlines came to Anchorage to participate in the picket, Must Read Alaska has learned, including pilots from Jet Blue. Other airports targeted included the Alaska Airlines bases of Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, according to a news release from the Air Line Pilots Association, the union representing pilots.
“A new pilot contract remains a top priority for Alaska,” said Jenny Wetzel, vice president of labor relations for Alaska Airlines. “We’ve put a package on the table that’s competitive and addresses the issues most important to our pilots. It’s a significant financial investment in our pilot group while recognizing that we are still working to recover from $2.3 billion in losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are eager to conclude negotiations quickly so our pilots can enjoy these new benefits as soon as possible.”
Among the highlights:
- Alaska is offering a top of scale wage of $280 per hour for captains and a market wage adjustment a year after the contract is ratified to keep pilots’ wages competitive with that of other airlines. An Alaska captain’s average salary is currently $341,000 per year. For first officers, the airlines has proposed a rate of $100 per hour, which would be the top rate in the nation.
- Any aircraft operated by Alaska Air Group that has more than 76 seats will be flown by Alaska’s seniority list pilots.
- The airlines has offered flexibility so pilots can set their schedules. Alaska Airlines pilots currently work 16 days a month on average.
The two sides have been in negotiations since 2019, including through 2020, when air travel stalled, with planes grounded for months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A statement from the Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association was released at the launch of the system-wide picket.
“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 experiencing. It has one of the strongest balance sheets with industry-leading profit margins and came out of the pandemic with less net debt than before it.
“Yet, despite all of this, Alaska Airlines failed to properly plan for increased travel demand and take the steps necessary to ensure it attracted and retained pilots. In fact, just this week, ALPA met with two corporate vice presidents who made clear that they have failed to adequately retain and staff up to meet a predictable return to flying.
“Now, they’re trying to distract the public from their mismanagement and blame the pilots who helped save their company. Pilot leaders have been warning for years that pilots will choose to fly for other airlines due to an inadequate contract that will only exacerbate existing staffing challenges.
“Hundreds of Alaska pilots will be exercising their lawful right to conduct nondisruptive informational picketing today in five cities around the country to highlight Alaska’s strong financial position and urge the company to get serious about concluding a contract. Alaska pilots are more than ready.”
It’s unclear exactly why flights were canceled and whether the picketing pilots had been scheduled to work those flights. Other pilots from other airlines participated on the picket line, indicating there was a type of “sick-out” under way.
One pilot for Alaska believes the pilots’ union is pushing too far and that wage inflation will have real consequences for the entire air travel sector. Read his opinion here:
