UPDATE 1-Northwest to cut capacity to tackle cancellations
(adds details on summer delays)
NEW YORK, June 29 (Reuters) - Northwest Airlines Corp. NWA.N said on Friday it would cut some flights in July and August in order to free up pilots to address a recent spate of cancellations by the airline.
Over the past week or so Northwest canceled more than 500 flights because of a combination of bad weather and a shortage of pilots.
The airline blamed the shortage on absenteeism, while the pilots' union blamed worker fatigue.
The cancellations come shortly after Northwest's exit from bankruptcy, where relations between management and workers were strained by the airline forcing pay cuts on many workers.
The airline said on Friday it would cancel one of its Detroit to Frankfurt flights from July 18 to free up pilots and in August would cut its domestic mainline capacity by 3 percent.
Major airlines and their regional affiliates, trying to maintain the industry's modest financial recovery while facing escalating costs, have struggled with serious delay problems this summer.
Crowded skies, full planes and little if any reserve in carrier fleets and crew scheduling leave airlines -- and their passengers -- vulnerable to air traffic problems or bad weather.
It may take an airline several days to recover from one day of serious delays, and cancellations have become an operating strategy to minimize longer term service disruptions.
Congress has responded to passenger complaints about poor service with proposed bills that would toughen oversight of how the industry treats its customers.
Lawmakers are also considering proposals to modernize the aging air traffic system, which airlines complain cannot adequately handle traffic volumes, especially when storms occur.
