A nationwide pilot shortage affecting all airlines, combined with its own internal issues with disgruntled pilots seeking a new contract, has forced Alaska Airlines to make a tough decision.
Alaska on Monday said it is canceling all nonstop flights between Anchorage, Alaska and Honolulu, Hawaii starting in June and running to November.
An airline spokesman told Alaska News Service that routes to Oahu, as well as to Maui and Kona, will return sometime in November but did not specify a date.
Only nonstop service between Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport is affected. Anyone traveling from Anchorage wishing to go to Hawaii can take a flight on Alaska Airlines to Seattle, Portland, Oregon, or Los Angeles and then connect to Honolulu on Alaska Airlines.
"We continue to adjust our operating schedule to meet our staffing levels," Alaska Airlines Public Affairs Manager Tim Thompson said.
Alaska has had its issues with delays and cancellations for several weeks now as it struggles to react to the pilot and crew shortage pervading the industry. The airline wrote a letter of apology and explanation to customers earlier this month but stressed that its pilots, who have held informational pickets regarding its contract woes, were not part of the reasoning for the delays.
Last week, budget carrier Sun Country Airlines announced it was trimming its schedule to cut service to Hawaii, citing staffing shortages and the uncertainty of fuel prices.
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