Alaska Airlines continues to cancel flights during an ongoing pilot shortage.
Almost 190 Alaska Airlines flights have been canceled since Friday, according to data from the flight-tracking website flightaware.com. Most have been along the West Coast, including 24 flying into or from the Portland International Airport. About 124 flights in Seattle have been canceled.
The cancellations have impacted more than 37,000 passengers.
Alaska Airlines has been in contract negotiations with its pilots for almost three years. Pilots with the Air Lines Pilots Association say the company didn’t prepare for an onslaught of travel after governments rolled back pandemic regulations. They’re asking for better pay, job security and stable work schedules. Pilots held informational pickets at airports in Portland and other cities on Friday.
Alaska Airlines pilots picket at Portland International Airport Friday, April 1, 2022, protesting an impasse in a nearly three-year contract negotiation. Flights were canceled on the West Coast, including 20 in Portland.
Arya Surowidjojo / OPB
Alaska Airlines representatives say they offer competitive contracts, including an annual salary of more than $340,000 dollars for captains.
Frustrated passengers say they weren’t notified of the potential for flight disruptions, and that they’ve had to wait several hours to reach Alaska’s customer service line.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and frustration we have caused because so many travel plans have been disrupted,” a statement from Alaska Airlines reads. “We keep working hard to get everyone to their destinations as quickly as we can.”