Carrier Sees Drop From 12 Percent To Less Than One Percent

Northwest Airlines seems to be shaking free of the rash of cancellations it suffered this summer.

The carrier enjoyed a cancellation rate of less than one percent of its entire schedule on last week, with 10 on Wednesday and just two on Thursday. According to NWA spokesperson Roman Blahoski, four days this month have seen 100 percent of scheduled flight completion, reported the Associated Press.

As ANN reported, NWA had some serious issues with flight cancellations in June and July. Between labor issues and bad weather, the carrier's cancellation rate far exceeded those of other major US airlines, according to CNNMoney. In just one day in June, the carrier cancelled 173 flights -- that's about 12 percent of its total 1,148 scheduled flights for that day.

In an effort to improve the situation, the carrier reduced the number of flight hours for pilots and recalled furloughed pilots. It also plans to hire as many as 350 new pilots within the next year.

The carrier's move to cut its August schedule by four percent also seems to be paying off. NWA also promised union workers a bonus of up to $1000, about 15 percent of their pay, for perfect attendance through Labor Day.

"I think the changes that we have implemented are working, and our operation is showing that," Blahoski said.

FMI: www.nwa.com, www.alpa.org