... And Pins Blame Squarely On AA Management
The Allied Pilots
Association (APA), collective bargaining agent for the 12,000
pilots of American Airlines, expressed its disappointment Tuesday
over the Department of Transportation’s
announcement it has tentatively decided to grant new China route
authority to United Airlines. American, Continental,
Northwest and United had been competing for the new route.
"The pilots of American Airlines were very excited about the
opportunity to fly DFW-Beijing," said APA President Captain Ralph
Hunter. "We understand how valuable DFW-Beijing service would have
been to our airline, north Texas and the broad domestic and
international network we serve through our DFW hub."
"We are disappointed that the DOT has tentatively decided to
grant the route authority to United," Hunter continued. "That said,
we respect the DOT’s decision and look forward to the next
opportunity to expand American Airlines’ international
presence."
As Aero-News reported, the
Allied Pilots Association took parent company AMR to task for its
original DOT proposal, due to the length of the outbound flights
from DFW which would exceed the maximum pilot work limit of 16
hours by about a half hour due to prevailing winds. The union
offered a concession agreement on the route, in exchange for
several perks such as guaranteed pay.
American replied that those perks should have been negotiated
during regular contract talks. Neither side would budge... and
American was forced to amend its proposal, to include a stopover in
Chicago before heading to Beijing. In its announcement Tuesday, the
DOT noted it denied American's motion to amend its application.
Hunter says APA sought a number of no-cost and low-cost items
for its pilots, in exchange for the longer duty time. He also notes
the expense associated with adding a stopover in Chicago actually
exceeded the total cost of APA's proposal.
"We do not understand why management chose to jeopardize its
prospects for new China service by rejecting APA’s reasonable
proposal and opting for a more costly alternative," Hunter
said.
Founded in 1963, APA is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.
There are currently more than 2,800 American Airlines pilots on
furlough. The furloughs began shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001
attacks. Also, several hundred American Airlines pilots are on
full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed
forces.