Daily Flights From Wenatchee to Seattle Being Reduced

There will soon be fewer airline flights out of North Central Washington's Pangborn Airport.

Alaska and Horizon airlines will operate just two daily flights to and from the the sole destination of Seattle, down from three.

Pangborn Airport Director Trent Moyers says the reduction is the result of a system wide shortage of flight crews at Alaska Airlines.

"It's not just the Pangborn Airport or the Wenatchee Valley," said Moyers. "It's occurring in Walla, Walla, in Pullman, in Yakima. They're also seeing those same reductions."

Moyers says Alaska is moving regional airline pilots up to its national carrier to make up for pandemic related retirements, which is leaving flights to places like Wenatchee under staffed.

But Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority CEO Jim Kuntz thinks the reduction in flights is a temporary condition .

He thinks demand will lead to a rebound in flights. "The Wenatchee market has performed relatively well, and we think that two flights a day very much a temporary situation," Kuntz said.

The number of flights to Seattle normally fluctuates between three to four every day, depending on the season.