Storms have been rocking airline operations across the United States over the last month. Several corners of the country are being seriously impacted by the weather. As a result of the conditions, Alaska airlines had to cancel over 400 flights over last the last weekend due to the snowstorm in the Pacific Northwest.
Responding to the difficulties
The snowstorm last weekend dropped more than a foot of snow at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport between Friday and Sunday. Subsequently, carriers operating at the hub were left with important decisions to make regarding their services.
The worst day of the storm was Saturday. According to The Seattle Times, on this day, Alaska Airlines canceled nearly half of its scheduled flights in and out of the airport. The next day, the carrier dropped 40% of its scheduled flights.
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Moreover, there was an ice storm in Portland leading into the weekend, which made the problems worse for Alaska. This is because the company’s subsidiary, Horizon Air, had to reposition 14 regional jets from Portland to Seattle due to the weather. Therefore, there was limited space to de-ice the aircraft. Overall, including Horizon flights, Alaska canceled 73% of its flights on Saturday 13th February.
A troublesome few days
The Seattle Times shares that a spokesperson for Alaska admits that this event was not the airline’s finest hour. Altogether, it was a challenging weekend for the carrier.
Nonetheless, Alaska Airlines has been promoting waivers amid the harsh weather. The airline shared the following on its website:
“To help our guests impacted by winter weather in Seattle and Portland, Alaska is making it easier to change your trip with our peace of mind waiver that waives fare differences on top of zero change/cancel fees.”
The challenges continue
The snow started to clear up in Seattle from Monday. However, conditions across the US remained tough throughout last week. USA Today reported over 2,900 canceled flights and more than 1,800 delays on Thursday alone due to winter storms.
As the winter continues, there will likely be more cancellations across airline networks. Airline activity is already at a low amid the consequences of the global health crisis. However, carriers have to also deal with the impact of the weather during this tough period. For anyone looking to travel during the harsh climate, it’s advisable to check schedule updates and waiver terms.
Simple Flying reached out to Alaska Airlines for comment on how the snowstorm impacted its network. We will update the article with any further announcements from the airline.
What are your thoughts about how the snowstorm impacted airlines across the United States last week? Were you affected by the severe weather in any way? Let us know what you think of the situation in the comment section.
