Contract Dispute Grounds 300 Delta Flights
A T L A N T A, Dec. 4 -- Delta Air Lines confirmed Sunday it was forced tocancel almost 300 flights over the weekend because pilots refused towork overtime as contract talks continued between their union andthe carrier.
The Atlanta-based airline, the third largest in the U.S., hasbeen in negotiations with the pilots since November.
Dave Bushy, Delta’s senior vice president of flight operations,in a recorded message Saturday on the Delta pilots’ hotline, saidthe airline was experiencing “significant disruptions to ourschedule.”
He said Delta canceled 67 flights Friday, 148 on Saturday andexpected 80 on Sunday due to crew shortages. Bushy said Deltanormally operates 2,700 flights a day and on a normal day fewerthan two flights are canceled due to crew shortages.
“What we’ve had happen this weekend is hundreds of flights andthousands of customers affected,” Delta spokeswoman Jackie Patesaid Sunday.
And Bad Weather to Boot
Pate said there were additional cancellations on Sunday due tosnow in the Southeast, but did not have any numbers.
Many of Delta’s 9,400 pilots have been declining to sign up forvoluntary overtime assignments since Delta and the Air Line PilotsAssociation began talks on a new contract last month.
ALPA officials have told pilots that the union does not supportthe no-overtime campaign, but said under their contract the pilotscan decide individually whether to fly extra hours. Union officialsdid not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Sunday.
United Airlines and Northwest Airlines also have recentlycomplained of job actions by workers involved in contractnegotiations forcing flight delays or cancellations. Unions forboth airlines have denied the allegations.
Northwest Slowdown Charges
Today, a judge in Minneapolis was expected to continue ahearing into Northwest’s allegations that a slowdown by mechanicswas escalating as the nation’s fourth-largest airline enters theChristmas travel season.
Last week, United, the country’s largest carrier, canceled morethan 100 flights for two days in a row. Airline officials sayUnited mechanics are defying a Nov. 17 federal court orderforbidding an organized work slowdown.
Most airlines rely on pilots to fly overtime hours to staff someregularly scheduled flights. If Delta’s pilots continue to refuseto work overtime, it could cause problems during the upcomingChristmas holiday period, Pate said.
“We have said we would consider what our options are, includinglegal options,” she said.
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