Northwest said on Wednesday that it plans to hire 250 to 350 new pilots in the next year. It has also recalled nearly 400 furloughed pilots. Those pilots need some training before they can begin flying again, but 230 of them were at the controls by Aug. 1, and 40 more will be flying by the end of the month, Northwest said.

Northwest canceled hundreds of flights at the end of June and July because it did not have enough pilots.

The Northwest branch of the Air Line Pilots Association has said that a tougher schedule adopted during bankruptcy has pushed pilots too hard. On Saturday they approved an agreement with the airline that will ease that schedule somewhat.

Northwest also cut its August schedule in an effort to avoid a repeat of problems from June and July.

"We are making a concerted effort to expand our operational capacity in order to better serve our customers," President and Chief Executive Doug Steenland said in a prepared statement. "Adding to our pilot roster will be an important step forward."