... 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.

FMI: www.alliedpilots.org