RELATED: Major Airlines Are Canceling Tons of Flights Right Now—Here’s Why. Alaska Airlines announced it was cutting some of its flights between Wichita, Kansas, and Seattle, Washington in November and December. It usually flies between the cities every day, but will remove its Saturday service during these two months as well as its Tuesday service in December. “The reduction is due to labor shortages,” according to an update posted on the website for the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport. The airport did not elaborate on the cause of the schedule changes.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: Never Do This When Your Flight Is Canceled, Travel Expert Warns. It’s not just Alaska Airlines. Southwest Airlines canceled about 2,000 flights earlier this month, stranding travelers and creating customer service chaos around the country. At the time, Southwest blamed such issues as weather for the outage. But staffing shortage across the airline industry have been widely reported. American Airlines canceled about 400 flights in June due to staffing and maintenance issues, and Spirit Airlines canceled hundreds of flights in August, citing staffing issues in addition to weather and system outages. When the pandemic slammed into the world economy, airlines encouraged thousands of employees to take leave or accept buyouts, as CNBC reported last year. But demand for travel roared back with unexpected swiftness, and now airlines are struggling to hire fast enough to get back up to speed with their staffing rosters. Although canceled flights are a major headache for travelers, the problems caused by staffing shortages are not just limited to airlines. Many industries are struggling to hire at adequate levels, CNN Business reported, as record numbers of people are quitting their jobs or holding off on accepting new employment until it meets their revised expectations for wages, benefits, and flexibility amid ongoing concerns for workplace safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Experts predict a difficult holiday season for air travel. If your flight is canceled, be aggressive in seeking solutions, according to the travel pros at Scott’s Cheap Flights. First, focus your attention on getting rebooked as soon as possible so you can get to your destination. Exhaust all your options: Wait in line in person, call customer service, use social media, and try the airline’s app or chat platform. See if your credit card covers travel interruption insurance to recoup on your hotel and food if you get stuck. Then, follow up until you get a satisfactory financial resolution: Pursue your airline’s customer service, and you might find it offers you a voucher for future travel—even weeks after the incident. RELATED: Major Airlines Are Banning This as of Dec. 8.
