schafjet
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Blaming fuel costs, Sun Country to idle 29 percent of its pilots
By John Welbes
[email protected]
Article Last Updated: 04/01/2008 03:12:37 PM CDT
Sun Country Airlines will lay off nearly 30 percent of its pilots starting May 1 in response to rising fuel costs.
The Mendota Heights-based low-cost carrier sent out letters to its pilots last Friday, telling them of the temporary move, said Wendy Blackshaw, an airline spokeswoman.
"We are not going to be flying as much this summer because of rising fuel prices," Blackshaw said today. The company has 156 pilots, and 45 received the letters sent out last week.
"They won't fly at all" from May until the end of October, she said, but will continue to accrue seniority. The 45 pilots are expected to be back on Oct. 31, she said.
"We very much regret having to take this action, both from the personal impact on pilots and their families but for the airline," the carrier said in a statement this afternoon. "This represents a deep pool of talent."
Sun Country is structuring the cut flights to keep passenger service close to what it is now, she said. "The flights we've taken out are primarily the ones that weren't as profitable," she said. "We haven't eliminated any routes."
Might Sun Country passengers notice that the remaining flights are little more full than they had been?
"If we cancel a red-eye to L.A., the hope is that someone would take the daytime flight to L.A.," she said, and they might notice more full seats on that flight, she said.
Major carriers, including Northwest, have also indicated they'll likely cut flights in the coming months to adjust to rising fuel costs. Champion Air, a Twin Cities charter carrier, said Monday it will cease operations May 31. That move will affect 550 workers.
By John Welbes
[email protected]
Article Last Updated: 04/01/2008 03:12:37 PM CDT
Sun Country Airlines will lay off nearly 30 percent of its pilots starting May 1 in response to rising fuel costs.
The Mendota Heights-based low-cost carrier sent out letters to its pilots last Friday, telling them of the temporary move, said Wendy Blackshaw, an airline spokeswoman.
"We are not going to be flying as much this summer because of rising fuel prices," Blackshaw said today. The company has 156 pilots, and 45 received the letters sent out last week.
"They won't fly at all" from May until the end of October, she said, but will continue to accrue seniority. The 45 pilots are expected to be back on Oct. 31, she said.
"We very much regret having to take this action, both from the personal impact on pilots and their families but for the airline," the carrier said in a statement this afternoon. "This represents a deep pool of talent."
Sun Country is structuring the cut flights to keep passenger service close to what it is now, she said. "The flights we've taken out are primarily the ones that weren't as profitable," she said. "We haven't eliminated any routes."
Might Sun Country passengers notice that the remaining flights are little more full than they had been?
"If we cancel a red-eye to L.A., the hope is that someone would take the daytime flight to L.A.," she said, and they might notice more full seats on that flight, she said.
Major carriers, including Northwest, have also indicated they'll likely cut flights in the coming months to adjust to rising fuel costs. Champion Air, a Twin Cities charter carrier, said Monday it will cease operations May 31. That move will affect 550 workers.
