May 28—How the mighty have fallen.
Alaska Airlines, long beloved in the state that gave the company its name, built a name for itself through reliability and customer service over decades. In just a few short months, it’s set that credibility on fire.
Because of a pilot shortage, the airline has resorted to paring its schedule and canceling flights, sometimes with little to no advance notice. Alaskans returning from trips Outside have found themselves stranded, stuck on hold in airports for hours trying to reschedule. Those trying to book travel to the Lower 48 have watched round-trip ticket prices soar, and even purchase of an itinerary is no guarantee the flights will go ahead as scheduled.
Logistical headaches
The disruption to Alaska Airlines’ schedule began with the COVID-19 pandemic. As air travel numbers plummeted, airlines shed costs however they could, which eventually led to cutbacks in flight schedules and even dropping of less-busy routes. As a result, since air travel demand began returning to levels approaching pre-pandemic volume in 2022, planes have been booked full — and often overfull — leaving little chance for passengers who miss connections or suffer other mishaps to find a place on the next flight to their destination.
Compounding the issue, according to Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci, is the airline’s overestimate of available pilots in April and May. Minicucci said the airline is short of its planned schedule by 63 pilots, and has had to cancel roughly 50 flights per day for the past two months. As he pointed out, that’s only 4% of the company’s flights, but it’s easy to do the math and realize that means several thousand people per day have been left high and dry, sometimes after already flying part of their itinerary. And when several thousand people per day need to rebook flights, that means Alaska Airlines’ famously responsive customer service has suddenly begun to resemble an internet service provider’s support line, with hold…