While Alaska Airlines scrambles to get a grip on its newfound struggles, it has to take steps to return to form. The company’s CEO apologized for the many cancelations and delays last week and now makes a new promise. Alaska Airlines pledges to go on a hiring spree to solve one of its biggest problems.
Alaska Airlines Committing to Hiring 1,500 People
The airline finds itself in the middle of a months-long nightmare of problems. Consistent, continued daily flight cancellations caused CEO Ben Minicucci to apologize for the daily cancelation of approximately 50 trips. This makes up 4% of the company’s schedule every day, stranding hundreds of passengers. Massive staffing shortages, including many pilots, seem to be the primary cause. Now that Minicucci has uncovered the issue, he released a statement with a pledge to fix it.
Minicucci announced a plan to hire 150 pilots, 200 additional reservation agents, and 1,100 flight attendants. He believes this will offset the number of cancellations the airline has suffered, according to KING5-TV in Seattle.
“Even though we made immediate changes, it takes some time for a complex operation to turn the corner. The month of May will continue to be choppy, and we’re doing everything we can to minimize the impact on you for June and beyond,” Minicucci said. “This, along with the reductions we made to our schedule, will ensure we run an operation that you can count on.”
More Problems to Come
Even if Minicucci rectifies the scheduling problems by reaching his hiring goals, the company’s problems aren’t over. While Minicunni believes the schedule will be back to normal by July, his pilots have more to say. Throughout May, the pilot’s union will vote to decide if they will strike, throwing yet another wrench in operations.
