MINNEAPOLIS - Northwest Airlines Corp. is ending August
without the waves of cancellations that plagued it earlier this
summer.
Northwest canceled just two flights on Thursday, and 10 on
Wednesday, well under 1 percent of its schedule on both days,
according to FlightStats.com. On four days this month the airline
completed 100 percent of its flights, spokesman Roman Blahoski
said.
It was canceling more than 100 flights a day in some of the
final days of June and July when it couldn't find enough pilots to
keep the planes flying. The airline blamed "absenteeism" by pilots.
Their union said pilots who called in sick were exhausted by a new,
tougher schedule.
On Aug. 1, the airline reached a deal aimed at reducing
cancellations. It reduced the number of hours pilots would
routinely be expected to fly. Northwest also said it would pay
union workers a bonus of up to 15 percent of their pay - up to
$1,000 - for perfect attendance through Labor Day.
Northwest also reduced its August schedule by 4 percent and
recalled furloughed pilots, and it has said it plans to hire as
many as 350 new pilots in the coming year. About 40 recalled pilots
are being trained each month, Blahoski said.
"I think the changes that we have implemented are working, and
our operation is showing that," he said.
