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AIRLINES: Northwest Faces
Another End-of-Month Pilots Shortage
7/24/2007
 Northwest
Airlines is again facing an end-of-the-month pilot
shortage. It’s already begun canceling flights again (76
departures this past Sunday alone). However, industry
experts say the problem this month will not be as severe
as June’s shortage, which led Northwest to cancel more
than 1,000 flights in the last 10 days of that month.
Although Northwest initially blamed the problem on bad
weather, the carrier had apparently laid off too many
pilots and its remaining pilots routinely get too close
to their maximum flying hours at the end of each month
to take on additional assignments.
 AirTran
will bump its change/cancel fees from $60 to $75
starting Oct. 1.
In other news, AirTran is
contacting passengers on a flight last Saturday between
Orlando and Wichita (via Atlanta) who sat near a teenage
girl who has now been diagnosed with bacterial
meningitis. Crew members actually called an ambulance
for the girl after she passed out on the last leg of the
flight.
Several major U.S.
carriers announced business-class service upgrades
yesterday. United Airlines unveiled new “lie-flat” seats
that recline a full 180 degrees (more than the current
140 degrees). The seats should be available in every
United business-class cabin by 2009. Meanwhile, American
Airlines and Delta Air Lines also plan to add wider
bed-type seats, better meal options, and more inflight
entertainment choices.
American Eagle will
begin flying nonstop roundtrips between Raleigh-Durham
and Bentonville, Ark. (Wal-Mart’s headquarters) on Nov.
4.
(Picture Credit: Northwest
Airlines / Air Tran)
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