JALways cutting down pilots

In this recession, pilots are also getting affected. JALways Co. Ltd. has announced to cut down the pilots, close its Honolulu office and layoff five local employees.

Hawaii Aviation Contract Services owner Alexander Bell, whose Honolulu-based company provided JALways with 18 pilots, said there was a reduction in pilots because “routes were canceled (globally) and airplanes were sold.”

“There are more pilots than were needed to do the jobs, and so Japan Airlines thought the best thing to do was the reduce the number of pilots,” he said. “And, obviously, the first to go would be the expats.”

Redwood City, Calif.-based IASCO said that 62 of its pilots were terminated, while Las Vegas-based World Aviation Systems Inc. said it lost about 50 pilots.

The five round-trip daily flights between Hawaii and Japan that the Honolulu-based JALways pilots used to operate are now being flown by Japan Airlines pilots who are based in Japan. A sixth daily flight between Hawaii and Japan already had been operated by Japanese national pilots for Japan Airlines.

(Via Star Bulletin)