APA News Digest

Dec. 17, 2021

Editor’s note: Some links in this message will work best if you log in to AlliedPilots.org before clicking them.

In This Edition ...

“The Company and APA Have Jointly Committed to Intensifying Ongoing Section 6 Bargaining”

The following joint message from American Airlines Senior Vice President-Flight Operations CA Kimball Stone and APA President CA Eric Ferguson was posted to aapilots.com earlier this evening.

Fellow pilots,

We have experienced extraordinary headwinds during the past 21 months, including the overnight obliteration of air travel demand, ever-changing quarantine policies, evolving mask guidance, frequent schedule changes, and much more.

Through it all, your professionalism and commitment to safety have never wavered. In the face of considerable uncertainty, you showed up and proved to all that while our industry could be shaken, we would not fall. We have learned many lessons through the pandemic, and while we’re still working toward full recovery, one thing we know is that we’re stronger when we work together.

With that in mind, the company and APA have jointly committed to intensifying ongoing Section 6 bargaining beginning in January for a minimum of four weeks — as a start — to focus on making targeted improvements and reaching an agreement that will benefit our pilots and our operation. This means our respective negotiating teams will be in a room together with zero distractions, working full time toward a contract. We have made meaningful progress recently and are discussing proposals that would deliver pay raises, enhanced profit sharing and benefits, and significant quality of life improvements to the pilots of American Airlines.

We share this with you today so that you know both your company and your union are dedicated to delivering the contractual improvements that each of you expect and have earned.

For those of you heading to the skies in the coming weeks, thank you for sacrificing time with your families so that our customers can be with theirs. Wherever the next few weeks take you, take some time to rest and reflect on all we have accomplished together in 2021.

Here’s to clearer skies in 2022.

CA Kimball Stone
Senior Vice President, Flight Operations and IOC		 CA Eric Ferguson
President, APA

President: “APA is All of Us”

In his opening remarks for this week’s special Board of Directors meeting, APA President CA Eric Ferguson addressed what he termed “the collective responsibility that we share as APA members. At times, members criticize APA as if the union somehow stands apart as a separate entity. In reality, APA is all of us. It’s not the headquarters building in Fort Worth or just the national officers, domicile representatives, committees, and staff. It’s all of us, which means we each share responsibility for participating and contributing to its success at some level. For members at large, that means staying informed and includes engaging in the virtual display of resolve set for tomorrow, and if schedules permit, coming to DFW for informational picketing on Jan. 20.”

CA Ferguson also addressed last week’s news that Robert Isom will succeed Doug Parker as American Airlines CEO on March 31, 2022, noting that Mr. Isom “once had a strong reputation as an operations specialist at US Airways, but regrettably that hasn’t translated into much success at American Airlines. Nevertheless, Mr. Isom is going to have to apply everything he ever learned in all of his prior roles to making a major course correction upon taking the helm. APA will be watching, and we won’t be a passive observer. This airline requires vision, tenacity at the top, and flawless execution by every employee to realize its full potential. Everyone, with the exception of our competitors, is tired of waiting.”

Scroll to the end of this News Digest for full recaps of the Board of Directors’ special meeting.

Pilots Demonstrate That They’re #frustrAAted

Thank you to all the members who participated in this week’s #frustrAAted campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Special thanks to the members who called APA headquarters on Wednesday to ask how they could participate if they didn’t have social media accounts of their own. Those pilots emailed us photos that we shared on APA’s accounts.

Some members have questioned why the instructions for this campaign – which were posted on the APA Strike and Tactical Operations Planning Committee’s webpage – didn’t tell participating pilots to tag American’s social media accounts to ensure the posts were seen by management. This was an intentional omission to avoid running afoul of the company’s social media policy for employees.

Management routinely monitors all communications by the unions on the property. Rest assured: They know that you’re #frustrAAted.

January Contract Training Schedule: Sign Up Now

This is a new message from the APA Contract Compliance Committee.

One of our committee’s primary goals is to provide contract education for APA’s membership. We have taken years of in-person training experiences and distilled them into four- and eight-hour courses that we broadcast via Zoom.

The four-hour course is designed to provide you with a general overview of how our JCBA works, while the eight-hour course explores in much greater detail areas such as reserve flying, filling of open time, and recovery obligation. The four-hour course is not a prerequisite for the eight-hour course. Pilots who attend our eight-hour course will be eligible to volunteer at the domicile Contract Compliance Committee level. Whichever course you choose, we’re confident you will find it educational and worthwhile.

The January schedule as it currently stands:

  • Wednesday, Jan. 19: Four-hour course beginning at 1 p.m. Central
  • Wednesday, Jan. 26: Eight-hour course beginning at 9 a.m. Central

Click here to register for a class.

An educated pilot group is a unified pilot group. We look forward to hosting you in one of our classes soon.

Sequence Cancellations for Next Day or Beyond

The APA Contract Compliance Committee sent the following message to all members on Wednesday.

Sequence Cancellations often result in questions surrounding the Company’s contractual obligations related to the notification of a cancellation and the assignment of Replacement Flying under JCBA Section 4.C. – Sequence Protection. The following provides a brief summary of these requirements specifically for a cancellation for the next day or beyond.

JCBA Section 4.C.4. controls when the Company may assign and notify a pilot of Replacement Flying:

  • If Sequence Cancellation occurs prior to DOTC* (the day prior to sequence origination or before), the Company may assign Replacement Flying and, if assigned, the Company must notify the pilot of the Replacement Flying by the end of DOTC* the day prior to sequence origination. (Section 4.C.4.a.(1)(a))
  • If Sequence Cancellation occurs during DOTC* the day prior to sequence origination, the Company may assign Replacement Flying and, if assigned, the Company must notify the pilot of the Replacement Flying by the end of DOTC* or three (3) hours after the Sequence Cancellation, whichever is later. (Section 4.C.4.a.(2))
  • If Sequence Cancellation occurs after DOTC* the day prior to sequence origination, the Company may assign Replacement Flying and, if assigned, the Company must notify the pilot of the Replacement Flying within three (3) hours after the Sequence Cancellation. (Section 4.C.4.a.(3))

*DOTC begins at 1000 home base time (HBT) and ends at 1500 HBT

In every case above, a phone call from the Company is required, and in accordance with Current Process a voicemail to a pilot’s H-Number listed in DECS constitutes notification. The time of the cancellation can be determined by clicking on the CXLD link within your HI3/5 generated by APA’s Mobile Sabre.

As a reminder, the Company is also required to notify pilots of the cancellation itself. (JCBA Section 4.C.1.c.: “The Company shall notify the pilot of a Sequence Cancellation, as defined in C.2.d. below, as soon as possible after the Sequence Cancellation is known.”)

If you are notified of a future cancellation and are not properly notified by the Company of Replacement Flying within the applicable Section 4.C.4.a. timeframe outlined above, the next time the Company may assign Replacement Flying would be during DOTC the following day (assuming a multi-day sequence).

If you experience a future Sequence Cancellation and you are not properly notified of the cancellation and/or the Replacement Flying, please contact your Contract Compliance Committee or submit a Contract Compliance Report. Please also review APA’s Sequence Protection Flow Charts for more detailed information.

Smoke, Odor, and Fume Events on the Rise

The APA Safety Committee sent the following message to all members on Wednesday.

Smoke, Odor, and Fume (SOF) events have been on the rise across our fleets during the past year. 

Concerning SOF events specifically related to engine/APU anomalies, the A320 family owns the preponderance of events (97%) with 227 events for 2021 through November, followed by the 737 with five events, and the 777 with three events. The 787 has not had any APU/engine SOF events in 2021. It’s important to note that 25% of the Airbus fleet has encountered a SOF event. Many of these are repeat incidents on the same aircraft, and some of those aircraft have repeated multiple times. 

What exactly is a SOF event? It is any smell not associated with a fire source and referred to as an odor (i.e., dirty sock/old airplane). An “odor event” would describe a situation involving a smell which can also be referred to as a “fume event.” These events occur predominately on the Airbus fleet but still affect the 737 and 777.

The important item to remember when dealing with any odor is to identify the source of the odor if possible. Odors include lavatory and oven smells as well, and the source of these can often be easily identified. When we step into an aircraft, we should not have unidentified odors, and if we do, they should be reported and documented in the AML. After the AML entry, fill out a fleet specific odor report under “My Forms” on your iPad in the Comply 365 app. This odor form is reviewed by TechOps to assist in the troubleshooting process. Information you provide is time-sensitive and helps give direction to the maintenance team in the repair process. Please be specific and detailed. APA Safety meets with AA Engineering every day/week to review the form to try and resolve issues and help communicate your information/acronyms to Tech Ops personnel. Tech Ops is listening to your summary!

SOF events can sometimes negatively affect the health of those exposed to contaminated air, both short and long term. An important act that can limit negative effects of unidentified odors is to remove yourself and your crew/passengers away from the odor. If at the gate, this may involve deplaning. In flight = don your O2 mask. Unidentified odor = don your O2 mask. Only when an odor is identified should you remove your O2 mask, if safety permits.

If you feel any physiological effects after an SOF event, please reach out for assistance. This can be done in various ways:

  1. Call the APA Accident/Incident Hotline, 817-302-2154, and press “2” for Smoke Odor Fumes.
  2. Contact the APA Medical Advisors at 817-302-2400 or medical-advisors@alliedpilots.org. You should also review the APA Aeromedical Committee’s Smoke Odor Fumes Guideline With Medical Protocols, which details the steps you need to take if you are exposed to a potentially toxic substance.
  3. Reach out to your Chief Pilot or IOC Duty pilot: 682-315-4340. They can locate available health care facilities and transportation, address Crew Scheduling issues, and provide follow-up guidance for any late-onset symptoms.
  4. MedAire is available for any SOF events, domestically or internationally. Call 480-333-3801. 
  5. If immediate medical assistance is needed, call for EMTs at the airport, or call 911.
  6. Sedgwick Hotline, 844-777-8463, can provide health care facilities and open a workers’ compensation claim to address any monetary payments. Do not provide personal insurance information for billing. Sedgwick can assist in billing questions directly with the facility.

APA Safety is working with AA to minimize SOF events. If you are involved in an SOF event, do not hesitate to reach out for assistance if needed.

APA Telephone Polling – We Need Your Input

The APA Negotiating Committee sent the following message to all members on Dec. 8.

Beginning Thursday, Dec. 9, APA will conduct telephone polling to further gain your input on bargaining priorities. The poll, which will occur both in December and January, will be conducted by members of an independent polling company who will interview a number of randomly selected pilots across the system. Calls will occur Dec. 9-23, and then again Jan. 2-12.

Your input is important! If you receive a call, please take the time to answer and respond to the survey questions. Responses will be anonymous.

Please look for the following information if a call comes in:

  • All calls will come from 603-397-0660.
  • Caller ID on landlines will indicate “UNH Surv Ctr.”
  • Caller ID on cell phones will indicate “NH Call.”
  • Call times will be between 0900 and 2100 (time zone appropriate).
  • If the call is missed, UNH will attempt to call you back if additional sampling is needed.

As more and more telephone carriers add “spam blocking” technology, you may (depending on your carrier) see a message that says “spam likely” when the call comes through. This message may be generated based on the volume of calls the polling company makes. To avoid receiving this message, you may want to consider adding 603-397-0660 to your contacts.

Social distancing measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have forced the polling company to adjust operations. While every attempt to minimize background noise is being taken, there may be occasions when this is not possible (e.g., barking dog).

Thank you in advance for devoting your time and for providing candid input.

APA Welcomes New Pilots

Click the image for a closer look.

During a Dec. 14 barbecue at APA headquarters, the Membership Committee welcomed 70 new hires: Ryan Abreu, Jacqueline Baas, Michael Bartolini, Daniel Behrens, Jesus Caballero, Paul Cabelus, Kendall Cox, Pierce Cushenbery, Sean Daley, Nathan Day, Jack Dennison, Brandon Doh, Robert Downie, Paul Edmonds Jr., William Engle, Ryan Ferris, Robert Gagnon, Michael Gilliam Jr., Richard Goldsmith, Richard Good, Matthew Gunnell, Blaine Hainebach, Kalynn Hargis, Jacob Hawley, William Hoeft, Joshua Howe, Tellys Hunter, Vincent Jordan, Roman Kosovan, Paul Lojko, Woodson Lynes, Peter Magnin, Brian Marshall, Charles Martin, Christopher Matson, Michael Maynard, Tristan Mazzu, Thomas McCarthy, Jacques Melbeuf, Ruman Memon, Lawrence Monahan, Robert Neff III, Ashleigh Orton, Scott Osterloh, Adam Page, Ian Pico, Dwayne Quick, Rachel Rea, Aaron Riley, James Rogers, Samuel Ross, James Rushing, William Satinover, Jarad Saunders, Arthur Scholtz, Nicholas Schultz, Christopher Sendra, Michael Stewart, John Stolz, Michael Strasberg II, Joel Tamayo, Alexander Teta, Andrew Trismen, Michael Tsegai, Russell Vanhoozer, Wayne Walker, Matthew Wareham, Brian Weber, Ellis Williams, and John Womack.

APA commends American Airlines’ hardworking aircraft maintenance technicians for their outstanding work. We believe they are the best in the business. When repetitive problems do arise, they’re often due to managerial decisions that fail to properly prioritize tasks and to management’s decision to outsource a significant portion of the airline’s maintenance to offshore, third-party repair stations.

  • Since Dec. 4, A319 aircraft 778 FCU (Flight Control Unit) has been written up four times and been OTS twice. The aircraft completed a successful FCF on Dec. 14 and has returned to service.
  • Since Dec. 3, A319 aircraft 775 flight deck door has been written up six times and has been OTS three times. The aircraft last returned to service on Dec. 10.
  • Since Nov. 29, B737 aircraft 3EN L/E flaps transit light has been written up and been OTS three times. The aircraft completed a successful FCF on Dec. 13 and has returned to service.

Are You Willing to Serve?

Each of these national committees or subcommittees has the indicated number of vacancies:

  • Aeromedical Committee (0)
    • Pilot Occupational Health (4)
    • Human Intervention Motivation Study Subcommittee (3)
    • Project Wingman Subcommittee (4)
  • Captain’s Authority Committee (8)
  • Committee for the Armed Defense of the Cockpit (2)
  • Flight Time/Duty Time Committee (1)
  • Grey Eagles Liaison Committee (1)
  • Hotel Committee (3)
  • IT Steering Committee (1)
  • Professional Standards Committee (1)
  • Retirement and Benefits Committee (9)  
  • Safety Committee (7)
  • Scheduling Committee (9)
  • Training Committee (3)
  • TUL/Tech Liaison Committee (1)

If you would like to serve on one or more of these committees, visit the National Committee Volunteer Portal.

Domicile Events

Tis the season to be jolly, so DFW pilots and their guests – many of whom were decked out in their ugliest sweaters – gathered at a hotel in Grapevine, Texas, last Saturday for their domicile’s holiday party.

See more photos on APA’s Facebook page.

The PHL and PHX Domicile Officers hosted a joint teleconference on Tuesday. Click here to listen to a recording.

More details about these upcoming domicile events are available at AlliedPilots.org/Calendar:

  • BOS: Holiday party on Dec. 18
  • DCA: West Virginia brunch on Jan. 22
  • DFW: Family Awareness event at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on Jan. 26
  • ORD: In-person meeting on Jan. 13; Family Awareness event at Blackhawks game on Feb. 2

DCA and DFW Domicile Elections

DCA and DFW pilots will elect a Chair and Vice Chair for each domicile, and the elected pilots will serve two-year terms on the APA Board of Directors starting on May 1.

As of 3 p.m. Central today, the following pilots’ names had been submitted for nomination:

  • DCA Chair: CA Joe Collins
  • DCA Vice Chair: CA Tim Doreen Jr., FO Ryan Dorris, FO Aaron Webb
  • DFW Chair: CA Rob Baker, CA Jon Sherrell
  • DFW Vice Chair: FO Jason Gustin, FO Chris Torres

Pilots’ names can be submitted through 12:01 a.m. Central on Dec. 30. For more information, go to AlliedPilots.org/Elections.

Rate Adjustments for APA Benefit Plans

This message from the APA Benefits Department was originally published on Dec. 3.

Contributions for APA-sponsored benefit plans are normally drafted on the 25th of each month. Due to Dec. 25 falling on Saturday, your contribution draft will take place on Monday, Dec. 27.

As a reminder, contributions drafted in December are for coverage in January, when the annual rate-adjustment process takes place. Anyone participating in the Life or Pilot Occupational Disability plans will be subject to the required rate adjustments. These adjustments are due to the participant moving into the next age band, which requires a new rate for the coverage elected.

Life Insurance only: Effective Jan. 1, 2022, participants in the members Life Insurance plan will receive a 4 percent reduction to their rate.

If you have any questions, please call the Benefits Department at 817-302-2140.

Professional Standards FAQs

Will Professional Standards handle issues with Crew Scheduling/Crew Tracking??
Absolutely! As you should be well aware, every call to Crew Scheduling/Crew Tracking (CS/CT) is recorded from the time you are connected until you hang up – even when you are on hold. While cases with CS/CT are rare, they do occur. There is a protocol for handling issues that arise with our colleagues in CS/CT: Conversations are reviewed jointly by Professional Standards and the CS/CT manager for resolution.

To read all of the FAQs, click here.

Professional Standards’ 24/7 hotline: 817-402-2181

Pilot Job Fairs and Future Pilot Forums

Future & Active Pilot Advisors received this feedback from a recently retired pilot who attended the Pilot Job Fair on Nov. 13 in Fort Lauderdale:

“I had interest from all five of the 65-plus carriers. Wheels Up made me an offer, which I accepted yesterday. Your help was crucial to me condensing my resume. Once again, FAPA has helped me 35 years after my initial hiring at American. I had a chance to talk to some of your people on Saturday. They were all super helpful and very pleasant to meet.”

The next Pilot Job Fairs and Future Pilot Forums are Jan. 22 in Orlando, followed by Feb. 26 in Los Angeles. Click here for more information.

APA Board of Directors Special Meeting Recap

These recaps were sent to all members in this week’s three editions of the APA Information Hotline.

TUESDAY: The APA Board of Directors convened at 9 a.m. Central at APA headquarters for its December special meeting.

In his opening remarks, APA President CA Eric Ferguson addressed what he termed “the collective responsibility that we share as APA members. At times, members criticize APA as if the union somehow stands apart as a separate entity. In reality, APA is all of us. It’s not the headquarters building in Fort Worth or just the national officers, domicile representatives, committees, and staff. It’s all of us, which means we each share responsibility for participating and contributing to its success at some level. For members at large, that means staying informed and includes engaging in the virtual display of resolve set for tomorrow, and if schedules permit, coming to DFW for informational picketing on Jan. 20.”

CA Ferguson also addressed last week’s news that Robert Isom will succeed Doug Parker as American Airlines CEO on March 31, 2022, noting that Mr. Isom “once had a strong reputation as an operations specialist at US Airways, but regrettably that hasn’t translated into much success at American Airlines. Nevertheless, Mr. Isom is going to have to apply everything he ever learned in all of his prior roles to making a major course correction upon taking the helm. APA will be watching, and we won’t be a passive observer. This airline requires vision, tenacity at the top, and flawless execution by every employee to realize its full potential. Everyone, with the exception of our competitors, is tired of waiting.”

Maintenance & Technical Analysis Committee Chair CA Shannon Hankins and consultant Bill Gremler – a retired A&P-licensed mechanic for American Airlines – briefed the Board on a series of maintenance-related items, including what CA Hankins described as a “relatively long list” of engine in-flight shutdowns since March of this year, all on narrow-body aircraft. They reported that aircraft that had maintenance work performed at the MRO facility in San Salvador, El Salvador, are out of service more often and for longer periods versus aircraft that undergo maintenance domestically. They also enumerated the aircraft that have been taken out of service repeatedly (known as OTS “repeater aircraft”) for recurring problems. In addition, they addressed recent smoke/odor/fume events, with 35 such events last month and 15 thus far in December. Another item of concern for the committee is Maintenance Validation Flights, with data indicating that returning to a comprehensive Functional Check Flight program using qualified crews would produce better results. A portion of the Maintenance & Technical Analysis Committee’s briefing took place in closed session.

Senior Director of Legal Affairs Jim Clark provided an update on the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, noting that the injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia last week, which has temporarily stayed the federal contractor mandate, is being appealed in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. He noted that APA contacted management after the court issued the injunction to inquire as to the airline’s plan going forward, with management indicating that the airline is maintaining its program of requiring vaccination or exemptions for all employees by Jan. 4. Mr. Clark reiterated that management confirmed it has no intention of terminating pilots for declining the vaccine, and he noted that APA is not aware of any pilots’ exemption requests being denied. He acknowledged that management has not yet confirmed what types of accommodations will be granted to employees who have been granted an exemption from the mandate, with approximately 85 percent of the pilot group having submitted proof of vaccination to date. The remainder of the Legal briefing took place in closed session.

While in open session, the Board voted to approve the following:

  • In accordance with Section 5.13 F of the APA Policy Manual, a motion to direct the President to donate $30,000 to Clement E. Furlong, Ph.D., at the University of Washington. This money will be used for development of testing for aersosolized aero engine oils and hydraulic fluids on airline crewmembers and passengers. This donation will be made as soon as possible but no later than the end of December 2021.
  • A motion to adopt Tasking Order 2021-09.
  • A motion to approve the minutes of the Oct. 19 Special Board Meeting and the Nov. 1-10 Fall Board Meeting.
  • A motion to revise the agenda for this special meeting.
  • A motion to waive policy and retain CA Jeff Waltuck as Appeal Board Chair and CA Mark Percy as a member of the Appeal Board until the Fall 2022 Board Meeting.
  • A motion to establish rules for the election of the other Appeal Board members.

The Board subsequently voted to elect CA Marcus Spiegel as a member of the Appeal Board and FO Mike Cummings and FO Wes Smith as alternate members.

In accordance with R2016-11, this hotline includes a synopsis reflecting all main motions and resolutions that the Board addressed Tuesday.

WEDNESDAY: The APA Board of Directors reconvened mid-morning at APA headquarters for its December special meeting upon returning from the Concourse Conversations at DFW.

After spending the remainder of the morning reviewing pending resolutions, the Board received a briefing from Aeromedical Committee Chair CA Peter Gillespie. Among the items CA Gillespie reported regarding COVID-19:

  • The world is now seeing the fourth wave of the virus, with each lasting four to five months. Europe in particular is driving case counts and death rates higher, well ahead of what the United States is currently experiencing.
  • The omicron variant has been shown to be more than four times more transmissible than the delta variant, while relative severity has not yet been determined.
  • Domestically, the biggest infection spikes are occurring in Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Hospital resources in those states are under stress, with non-COVID-19-related care being deferred. Older Americans have been the most affected, consistent with earlier phases of the pandemic.
  • On average, 25 to 30 pilots are testing positive for the virus each week, with an increasing number of breakthrough cases involving those vaccinated in April, May, and June, while pilots vaccinated more recently are also testing positive. Most of the cases involving vaccinated pilots have been mild. Thirteen pilots have contacted the Disabled Pilots Awareness Subcommittee due to the virus, and one pilot has applied to Harvey Watt for disability benefits due to a vaccine side effect. CA Gillespie acknowledged social media reports attributing a recent pilot death to the vaccine but said he cannot confirm whether the vaccine was determined to be contributory to the death.

CA Gillespie noted that the Pilot Occupational Health Subcommittee is actively working with a broad range of stakeholders, including various federal agencies and American Airlines, on ways to protect our pilots from space weather radiation. The subcommittee is also seeking to expand its work on fume events and is engaged in efforts to enhance pilot crew meals.

CA Jeff Leisten, Deputy Chair-Disabled Pilots Awareness Subcommittee, confirmed 60 new LTD cases in October, 40 in November, and 13 through Dec. 14, marking an increase compared with previous months. He noted that DPASC is seeking to add volunteers to its ranks in response to increased pilot demand for the subcommittee’s services.

In his briefing, Check Airman Committee Chair CA John Darrah emphasized that “APA should not have to pay to fix management’s problems.” He characterized Section 12 as “broken” and emphasized the need for a complete rework, rather than taking “a Band-Aid approach,” and indicated he has seen a high level of contract compliance by Check Airmen. Among the Section 12 shortfalls CA Darrah specified: Our Check Airmen are the only group on the property that doesn’t get premium pay, and the only Check Airmen in the United States that to his knowledge do not have an override. In response to a Board member asking whether the airline is “short at the schoolhouse,” CA Darrah responded in the affirmative, predicting that management “will continue to have problems as more and more people go out the door.” Approximately 50 Check Airmen were in the Board room for CA Darrah’s briefing, which APA President CA Eric Ferguson and various Board members lauded as a strong sign of unity in the Check Airman ranks. A portion of CA Darrah’s briefing took place in closed session.

The Board also received a closed-session briefing by the Negotiating Committee and Department.

While in open session, the Board voted to approve the following:

In accordance with R2016-11, this hotline includes a synopsis reflecting all main motions and resolutions that the Board addressed Wednesday.

THURSDAY: The APA Board of Directors reconvened for its December special meeting at 9 a.m. Central at APA headquarters. 

Following a closed-session briefing by the Scheduling Committee, the Board voted to approve the following while in open session:

  • A motion to reject the proposed TTS Real-Time trading system the company intends to roll out beginning on Jan. 24, 2022, “until such time the final state solution is mutually agreed to as referenced in the ‘Modifications to Trip Trade System (TTS)’ agreement dated Nov. 19, 2015.”
  • A motion to amend the STOP Committee budget by increasing it to $1,424,774, as requested by the committee chair.
  • R2021-49 Rev 2, “Sick/PU Policy”
  • Tasking Order 2021-10
  • Tasking Order 2021-11

The Board adjourned its meeting early Thursday afternoon.

In accordance with R2016-11, this hotline includes a synopsis reflecting all main motions and resolutions that the Board addressed Thursday.

In accordance with R2017-37 Rev 1, video footage of the open portions of the Board meeting will soon be posted to AlliedPilots.org/BODMeetingRecordings.