US pilot union blasts SkyWest’s plans to cut air service to small cities

A US pilot union has called SkyWest Airlines’ planned cancellation of flights to 29 secondary cities “an egregious miscarriage” of the federal government’s nearly $2b in financial aid to the carrier during the coronavirus pandemic. In a 21 March letter to transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) says the St. George, Utah-based regional airline’s request earlier this month to cut the routes – later denied by the DOT – is an “outrageous affront” to taxpayers and other stakeholders who made sacrifices during the global health crisis. SkyWest says the USA’s current drastic pilot shortage necessitates the flight reductions. “SkyWest Airline’s recent filing… in which it indicated its intent to cut flights to 29 Essential Air Service (EAS) cities within 90 days, reflects an egregious miscarriage of the intent of Congress when it provided the airline with nearly $2b in support,” the letter reads. “It also reveals an arrogance that only the most grasping corporate executives could possess.” In its letter, the ALPA notes that SkyWest had applied to the DOT for other EAS routes just a month prior. “The airline’s blatant attempt to cherry-pick certain EAS communities over others exposes not a pervasive staffing issue but an intentional decision to prioritise lucrative markets,” the union says.<br/>