Hundreds Of Flights Trimmed From The Schedule

A shortage of pilots qualified to fly Q400 turboprop aircraft has forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights by Horizon Air this summer.

The regional carrier is part of the Alaska Air Group. The Seattle Times reports that Horizon cancelled more than 300 flights in June because they did not have a sufficient number of pilots to fly the routes. This round of cancellations is preemptive, and the airline is considering whether to continue to reduce its schedule through the rest of the year.

The carrier is sending out pilot managers who are qualified to fly the Q400 aircraft in an effort to minimize the number of flights that have to be cancelled. They are also offering incentive ... such as double pay ... to pilots who will pick up extra flights within the boundaries of their crew rest schedules.

In a memo sent to employees, Horizon CEO Dave Campbell said that the cancellations were the result of a "perfect storm" of of rapid growth by the airline and a shrinking number of qualified pilots. He said in the memo that August flights have already been cut, and the company is currently evaluating its fall and winter plans "to ensure we have schedules that we can reliably operate."

The cancellations between August 4 and Sept. 3 announced by Horizon have affected about 17,000 passengers, who have been notified of the changes. They have been rebooked on Horizon or Alaska Airlines flights leaving earlier or later the same day as their original flights.

Alaska Air spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said that the airline has targeted flights for cancellation on routes that the carrier flies multiple times per day. She said the airline has tried hard to ensure that the cancellations have a "minimal impact" on passengers.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.alaskaair.com