IN BRIEF

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Storms, absenteeism hit Northwest flights

Northwest Airlines Corp., the fifth- largest U.S. airline, completed 92 percent of its three-day weekend schedule because of pilot absenteeism and thunderstorm-caused delays in the Northeast corridor Sunday, spokesman Roman Blahoski said.

As the airline headed into its busiest part of the week serving business commuters, Blahoksi said he had no forecast for flight cancellations.

“Currently we are talking to the union to find ways to improve the reliability of our operations,” Blahoski said.

Delays of an hour due to thunderstorms were reported at John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports in New York; Newark Liberty International and Teterboro airports in New Jersey; General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport in Boston; Philadelphia International Airport; Washington Dulles International and Ronald Reagan Washington National airports and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Northwest will cut its domestic flight schedule by 90 hours a day in August, representing about 40 flights based on the carrier’s average daily schedule, according to Bloomberg calculations, to increase the reserve of pilot hours in case of weather delays.

Monty Montgomery, a spokesman for Northwest’s chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, said, “There’s no effort by the pilots to disrupt the schedule. We’re working at our personal maximum.”

The pilots’ union contract, negotiated last year when the carrier was in bankruptcy, raised flight crews’ limits to 90 hours of flying per month from 80 hours before.