Alaska Air Trims January Flights to Cope With Virus Outbreak

Alaska Airlines planes are parked at gates with Mount Rainier in the background at sunrise, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle on March 1, 2021. Ted S. Warren/AP Photo

Alaska Airlines said Thursday it will trim its schedule by about 10 percent for the rest of January as it deals with “unprecedented” numbers of employees calling in sick during the current COVID-19 outbreak.

The move by Alaska is similar to a decision last week by JetBlue Airways to cut about 1,300 flights through mid-January.