Alaska Airlines will reduce flights by 10% through the end of January due to omicron-related staffing challenges, the company said in a statement Thursday.
“As we have entered 2022, the continued impacts of omicron have been disruptive in all our lives and unprecedented employee sick calls have impacted our ability to operate our airline reliably,” the airline said. “To our guests, we apologize for the considerable inconvenience and are working hard to return to the level of service they know and expect from us.”
The airline is one of many dealing with serious flight delays due extreme weather and staff getting infected with COVID-19. Thousands of flights have been canceled over recent weeks, and many Alaskans have been stranded Outside for extended periods.
The airline said it needs to “build more reliability back into our operation as we deal with the impacts of omicron and during a time when guests generally fly less.”
The reduction in flights “will give us the flexibility and capacity needed to reset while continued flexible travel policies enable guests to adjust their plans accordingly,” the statement said.
