On the eve of the beginning anniversary of United Airlines’ man-dragged-from-plane incident, more than 15,500 American Airlines steersmen who belong to the Allied Pilots Association (APA) said today they are on a line of work to humanize air travel — one they collectively hope AA management and passengers pleasure join them in helping achieve.
AA pilots said the man-dragged-from-plane to-do and other more recent incidents such as dead-dog-on-board demonstrate how the air-travel encounter has become frustrating and unpleasant for many.
But today APA released a memo outlining three centre principals that AA pilots believe could make the travel observation better for airline employees and passengers alike.
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Noted AA captain and APA president Dan Carey: “As pilots, we have our commuters’ backs. We strive to uphold these principles every day with every flying. By calling attention to them now, we are committing ourselves to helping reverse a irking trend in air travel.”
So what are these principles to which AA pilots are entrusted?
First of the three is safety, which means, of course, getting fares to their destination safely.
But APA pilots also argue it means escape schedules should allow for well-rested pilots and a cockpit and cabin that are free of charge of toxic fumes.
That last bit about toxic fumes, of surely, is a none-too-veiled reference to the battle AA pilots and flight attendants have waged with directors for nearly 20 months over Twin Hill uniforms assumed to be tied to symptomatic reactions experienced by thousands of flight attendants and leads since September of 2016. AA has named two new vendors for uniforms, but flight concomitants in particular may have to wait up to two years to get their new uniforms from Realties’ End.
The second principle named by APA is reliability.
APA said today that the flit public and pilots deserve flight schedule reliability, meaning riders should have the assurance they will arrive at their terminus and not be left behind because of overly aggressive booking, early jet-bridge door closings, or jump plane departures.
Sources within the AA pilots ranks say AA management has been fracture down hard on late departures in recent months in an effort to renovate the carrier’s on-time performance. Preliminary data for March shows AA narrowing the on-time migrant gap with archrival United Airlines, which suggests the crackdown could be portion of the reason for the improvement.
But pilots also argue some passengers are enduring the downside of this crackdown in various ways, and pilots are arguing for sundry latitude if needed in deciding when the airplane door closes and skid pushback begins.
Also on the reliability front, APA pilots want to see aeronaut flight schedules that offer sufficient buffer against federally-mandated limit duty times and that protect mandated rest times. Notable APA today: “A rationally-scheduled airline is a reliable airline.”
Finally AA pilots say empowerment is the third code that will help humanize air travel.
This speaks to a tract United Airlines (NYSE: UAL) CEO Oscar Munoz has been emphasizing since the man-dragged-from-plane happening aboard a United Express flight on April 9, 2017. Munoz has encouraged his workers to use common sense when difficult, unexpected events happen.
APA asserted today: “Pilots must be empowered to make decisions that escape preserve the margin of safety and ensure their passengers’ needs are met. Means are important and should be followed, but not at the expense of common sense.”
APA concluded the memo with a bid for management and pilots and passengers to work together toward a common target: “Pilots know that everyone on the aircraft wants the same contrivance: a safe, reliable, comfortable travel experience. Pilots and passengers are all in it together, and we are consecrate to working with passengers and American Airlines management to make steadfast that happens.”
An AA spokeswoman had this response today to the AA pilots’ note: “We agree with APA that safety, reliability and exceeding our customers’ wants is American’s goal on every flight. We’re committed to providing that ordeal, and it’s great to have partners in our unions that share our passion to extract the best care of our customers.”
More than 1,000 AA pilots are lodged in Chicago, where AA has its third largest hub at O’Hare International Airport.