Horizon Air pilots blast Alaska management over service cuts

Pilots at Horizon Air, the Portland, Oregon-based regional subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, have publicly blamed Alaska management for service cuts and aircraft deferrals. In a public letter published as a full-page ad in The Seattle Times, the union representing Horizon’s pilots said the pilot shortage Alaska management has cited for preemptively canceling hundreds of Horizon flights and deferring deliveries of Embraer E175 aircraft is not the “full story.” While acknowledging the reality of the pilot shortage, the letter writers accuse Alaska management of failing to “seriously” prepare for it, imperiling the future of Horizon. The airline has canceled 1,300 flights in September and October combined, citing the pilot shortage. <br/>