There's a Huge Problem With Alaska Airlines' New Long-Haul Flights

Alaska Airlines’ new long-haul international flights—marketed from Seattle/Tacoma to Europe and Asia—are drawing a staffing dispute despite a heavier service offering in economy, including ice cream and warm cookies. The Association of Flight Attendants–Communications Workers of America (AFA-CWA) filed a grievance earlier this month, asking Alaska to either reduce onboard service or add more flight attendants. The union says the carrier is violating contract requirements that set in-flight service standards by agreement. The complaint covers intercontinental Boeing 787-9 flights, staffed with attendants from Alaska’s Hawaiian Airlines subsidiary. Hawaiian’s contract calls for nine attendants on long-haul 787-9 flights, plus one more if passenger load exceeds 90%. After a May “monitoring period” ended without changes, the union alleges economy service takes too long—such as pushing a single cart from front to back—cutting into passengers’ sleep on overnight routes.