Alaska Airlines officials on Friday printed a blog post on its website, taking full blame for the recent spate of delays and cancellations and absolving its pilots - who have been staging informational pickets over contract negotiations in several cities - of any culpability for the issues.
In a blog post entitled 'Why we've canceled flights, and what we are doing to get back on track,' Alaska Airlines wrote that
"Sharing what happened and what we're doing about it doesn't fix upended plans, but we value our relationship with our guests, and that means being transparent with you when we fall short."
The airline admitted that, not unlike the entire industry, it has suffered from short staffing and especially so with pilots - many of whom left the business anyway over the last two years due to retirement or buyout. But the carrier also noted that training new pilots takes time, and that was hampered by teachers and potential pilots becoming sick during the Omicron surge.
Alaska said it dropped the ball by not rescheduling training sessions fast enough nor did it anticipate the fewer pilots who were ready to fly by April.
"We should have recognized this sooner and updated our schedule," the airline wrote.
Alaska Airlines also said the informational pickets by pilots, who have been without a contract for three years, had nothing to do with the delays and cancellations even though it coincided with the problems that began on April 1.
"…Our pilots planned an informational picket on Friday April 1 to share their views, and we respect their right to do so. This informational picket was not the cause of our cancelations. We're committed to reaching an agreement for a contract that is good for our pilots, recognizes their contributions to Alaska, and supports the company's ability to grow for all 22,000 Alaska and Horizon employees and all who depend on us," the airline wrote. "To that end, the proposal we recently offered is the highest contractual investment we've ever proposed in our history and would make our first officers the highest paid in the industry."
Going forward, Alaska Airlines said it plans to make changes - both short-term and long-term - to ensure a better experience for its guests. It will reduce about two percent of its total flights through the end of June to match its current pilot capacity.
A dedicated team has been deployed to ensure training events are rescheduled faster and ensure the airline has the correct number of pilots for scheduled flights.
"When we fall short, you can trust that we will be transparent, apologize and work to correct it as quickly as possible. As we make progress, we will update you regularly in the months ahead," the airline wrote. "We fly airplanes with great care so that you can have great adventures, connect with loved ones, run your business and go where you need to go. And we're committed to doing that reliably for many years to come."
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