Jul 30, 2007 10:39 pm US/Central
NWA Struggles With More Canceled Flights
by Heather Brown
(WCCO)
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On Monday, a Northwest spokesman called the weekend delays unacceptable and said the airline was working on the problem.
NWA
Northwest Airlines improved their performance Monday, but struggled again with cancellations after a long weekend of above normal canceled flights. Over the week, it canceled eight percent of flights. The norm for any given day is two percent.
The airline said pilots aren't showing up for their normally scheduled shifts. The pilot's union said the airline doesn't have enough pilots. Safety regulations limit them to flying 90 hours per month, and with fewer pilots around, they said they are maxing out on hours.
On Monday, a Northwest spokesman called the weekend delays unacceptable and said the airline was working on the problem.
In a letter to employees on Friday, CEO Doug Steenland wrote, "We are confident that the measures we are taking will address and remedy our operational challenges. The unfortunate reality is that a problem such as this cannot be resolved overnight."
Steenland wrote the airline has cut back on its August schedule by four percent to create additional reserves and reduce the maximum number of hours the pilots can fly. It also canceled a second Detriot-Frankfurt flight and will recall all eligible pilots from furlough. Northwest also plans on hiring more pilots once the furloughed ones are recalled.
"If I was Northwest, I would not be making promises to the public there will be substantial improvements next month," said Carlson School of Management professor Alfred Marcus.
He said the changes would take time to incorporate and there may be some factors, like weather and air traffic control, the airline can't control.
"I think people will have to adjust to being inconvenienced. They can't make their schedules tight," Marcus said.
Northwest said they believe they won't have big cancellations in August but encourage all travelers to leave their contact information with customers. The airline said customers are contacted about a flight as soon as it is canceled.
The airline will continue to work diligently to minimize the impact on its passengers.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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