Alaska Airlines Pilot Advances Narrowed Military Leave Lawsuit

A lawsuit accusing Alaska Airlines Inc. of wrongly denying certain benefit accruals to pilots who take leave to serve in the military will move forward on a narrowed basis.

The plaintiff pilot has a viable claim that the airline owes the same benefits to employees who take military leave lasting between 31 and 60 days that it pays to employees who are absent while serving jury duty, Judge Robert S. Lasnik said. But other aspects of the case fail, Lasnik said, including claims for accrual of sick time during certain military absences and claims based on military absences lasting more ...