American says disruptive pilots causing flight delays, cancellations
By Aaron Karp | September 20, 2012
American Airlines (AA) issued a statement Thursday afternoon blasting
its pilots for causing hundreds of flight cancellations and delays this
week.
The long-running dispute between AA and its pilots, who saw their labor contract abrogated by a US bankruptcy court this month (ATW Daily News, Sept. 4), perhaps has reached its ugliest stage with both sides hurling accusations at the other. Allied Pilots Assn. (APA) president Keith Wilson, in a message this week to AA’s 10,000 flight deck crew, criticized the “destructive nature” of management’s Chapter 11 reorganization strategy and called for “a major course change.”
AA, which this week sent out layoff warning notices to 11,000 employees (ATW Daily News, Sept. 19), said in the statement that flight disruptions this week “are primarily due to the significant increase in maintenance write-ups by our pilots, many right at the time of departure. Additionally, continued higher-than-normal sick usage by pilots—which has been up more than 20% year-over-year and has been elevated for months—impacts the availability of reserve pilots, which can ultimately lead to cancellations. Our pilot staffing—without the recent actions regarding maintenance write-ups and the continued increase in sick time—is adequate to meet our scheduling needs and recalling pilots from furlough would not be needed.”
APA denied it is directing any disruptive actions by pilots, saying in a statement Thursday, “There is no job action of any sort that is organized, supported or sanctioned.”
The long-running dispute between AA and its pilots, who saw their labor contract abrogated by a US bankruptcy court this month (ATW Daily News, Sept. 4), perhaps has reached its ugliest stage with both sides hurling accusations at the other. Allied Pilots Assn. (APA) president Keith Wilson, in a message this week to AA’s 10,000 flight deck crew, criticized the “destructive nature” of management’s Chapter 11 reorganization strategy and called for “a major course change.”
AA, which this week sent out layoff warning notices to 11,000 employees (ATW Daily News, Sept. 19), said in the statement that flight disruptions this week “are primarily due to the significant increase in maintenance write-ups by our pilots, many right at the time of departure. Additionally, continued higher-than-normal sick usage by pilots—which has been up more than 20% year-over-year and has been elevated for months—impacts the availability of reserve pilots, which can ultimately lead to cancellations. Our pilot staffing—without the recent actions regarding maintenance write-ups and the continued increase in sick time—is adequate to meet our scheduling needs and recalling pilots from furlough would not be needed.”
APA denied it is directing any disruptive actions by pilots, saying in a statement Thursday, “There is no job action of any sort that is organized, supported or sanctioned.”
