Alaska Airlines has got a bad case of the flu. In fact it's so bad that it has led to dozens of flights being cancelled. The airline was forced to cancel 24 flights on Sunday and Monday because many pilots and flight attendants were struck with the flu and called in sick just in time for the busy holiday season.
According to Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan, about 270 passengers were impacted by the flight cancellations. In addition to the flights that were cancelled due to flu, another 14 flights were cancelled on Sunday due to poor weather conditions, the Associated Press reports. Horizon Air flights were also cancelled. The passengers that missed their flights were given refunds.
Cold and flu season has hit a lot of [crews] in the last day and a half - particularly Horizon Air crews," Egan said according to KGW. "There are a high number of pilots and attendants too sick to fly."
Egan told USA Today that the airline's Pacific Northwest hub was hit with a "very unusual" cold and flu season that affected the entire region. The spokeswoman says that pilots and flight attendants who were off-duty, stepped up to the plate to take over the flights while their coworkers are out sick.
The airline doesn't expect Tuesday to be as busy as the other days during this holiday travel period so the airline most likely won't have to cancel many flights because of sick crew members.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
