SEATTLE — Travel at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is heating up ahead of what's expected to be a busy Labor Day weekend.
The Port of Seattle is forecasting travel to be up 10% compared to last year.
Some off-duty Delta pilots are planning to picket in major U.S. cities across the country Thursday calling for a new labor contract.
That includes Seattle with pilots expected to line International Boulevard starting at 10:30 a.m.
The Thursday morning picket marks the second time pilots have picketed this summer. The last time was in June.
First officer Laura Woods, a Delta pilot and spokesperson for the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), said their negotiators have made some progress, but the big issues remain unresolved.
"Our pilots have picked up record amounts of overtime throughout the summer," Woods said. "It's been an exhausting summer. Everyone worked really hard. And as the public knows, we still had a lot of cancellations."
Specifics about negotiations are private, but pilots are calling for an industry-leading contract that includes better schedules and more pay.
In response to the picket, Delta said in a statement:
“This year, ALPA has organized several informational picketing events at various airports to bring attention to what they see as shortcomings in the pilot contract and share their concerns with pilot schedules. These exercises by some of our off-duty pilots do not disrupt our operation for our customers. ALPA’s stated purpose of picketing is simply to gain leverage at the negotiating table."
Atlanta-based Delta reported no cancellations at Sea-Tac and three flight delays as of Thursday morning.
Woods also said this latest picket could see a record-setting number of pilots not just from Delta, but from other airlines as well.