Aug. 30--The union representing Northwest Airlines pilots says this month's stellar flight completion record is deceptively optimistic and might not last beyond August.
According to flightstats.com, Northwest canceled 14 flights between Saturday and late Wednesday. That's a drastic improvement for the airline, which scratched more than 4,000 flights in June and July combined. Most of the cancellations occurred at the end of each month as pilots reached their flight-time maximums.
The carrier experienced delays Wednesday because a computer glitch affected 37 flights, airline officials said.
In June and July, pilots blamed crew shortages for the cancellations. Northwest officials blamed pilot absenteeism and weather.
Northwest and the pilots later reached agreements that included the airline paying overtime, cutting its flight schedule, calling back furloughed pilots and hiring new ones.
Air Line Pilots Association spokesman Monty Montgomery said he was happy with the August completion record, but wondered if it could be sustained.
"We feel like they need to hire pilots ahead of the rate of attrition," Montgomery said, adding that pilots are quitting for other jobs. "The bankruptcy contract and its cuts have changed the profession. Enticing pilots, even away from regional carriers, will be tough."
Northwest spokesman Dean Breest disagreed with that assessment, saying that the airline had received more than 1,400 applications for pilot jobs in July, following its announcement that it was recruiting.
In July, Northwest CEO Doug Steenland said the company planned to hire between 250 and 350 pilots within the next 12 months to improve schedule reliability.
Contact MARGARITA BAUZA at 313-222-6823 or [email protected]
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