APA Participates in FAA Aviation Safety Summit

APA’s voice was heard during the FAA Aviation Summit on Wednesday in McLean, Va., with President CA Ed Sicher, Safety Committee Chair FO Todd Wissing, Government Affairs Committee Chair CA Harvey Meek, Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations President CA Larry Rooney, and Communications Committee Chair CA Dennis Tajer on hand. As part of the summit, more than 200 industry stakeholders participated in a series of breakout sessions to discuss ways to enhance flight safety. In its summit readout, the FAA acknowledged that “pilots and flight attendants expressed concerns that they continue to feel stress in the workplace, including long hours under adverse conditions. The group acknowledged that risk models should also incorporate human factors.”

In a Washington Post article on Wednesday regarding the recent series of incidents that prompted the FAA to convene its summit, CA Tajer emphasized that “Pilots, air traffic controllers and even mechanics are being made to “go, go, go, do more, do more, do more. And what’s happening is that we are seeing more incidents.”

From left: CA Tajer, CA Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, CA Sicher, and CA Rooney.

Safety Survey

The Safety Committee made its safety survey available to pilots beginning on March 13.

Recent “close-call” incidents along with other transportation accidents have resulted in a Call-to-Action by the FAA and increased attention from the public, news media, and Congress.

In correspondence with many pilots and input from APA safety volunteers, the APA Safety Committee has identified the top safety concerns to be:

Time pressure (“pilot pushing,” “rush to comply”)
Fatigue
Loss of experience in our cockpits, affecting line operations
Declining adherence to Standard Operating Procedures
Changes made to procedures too rapidly which do not result in a safer operation
Training “by bulletins” instead of in-person simulator training or Distance Learning
Increased hazards during ground operations
Distractions for pilots often caused by support work groups pursuing their own goals (pressure to close the door, “Right Start” flights, pushing to take a/c with multiple, complex MELs, etc.)
Concerns about decreasing training quality and quantity at a time when new-hire pilot experience is lower & Captain upgrade occurring rapidly
Training is decreasing when it should be increasing

As always, while APA seeks improvements to our systemic operations, our crews and passengers depend more than ever on the professionalism and safeguards that we, as pilots, perform and demand each flight. Please answer this short survey and at the end, share specific comments and examples of your experiences that caused concern. Please note the survey will end at midnight Central on Sunday, March 19.

Keep up the excellent work and remember the words of former AA Vice President of Flight CA Cecil Ewell: “There is NO mission. Be AGGRESSIVELY SAFE.”

Sequence Protection When a Pilot Declines an RO Sequence?

This is the latest in a series of Q&As from the APA Contract Compliance Committee.

Q: I declined a Replacement Flying (RO) assignment after my original sequence was cancelled (XR’d). I was available for RO assignments during DOTC for flying on Days 1 and 2 of my original Sequence Footprint (JCBA Section 4.C.4.), but was not assigned. I did decline a 2-day RO sequence on Days 3 and 4. Am I entitled to Sequence Protection? Would the answer be different if my sequence was Trans-Oceanic (including to/from Hawaii) or south of the Equator?

A: When a pilot declines an RO sequence, they forfeit the associated Sequence Protection. If that pilot has already served a portion of the required availability within the Replacement Flying Window (RFW) without an assignment, they are eligible for a portion of their original sequence value. An average daily value of the sequence will be determined by dividing the value of the sequence by the number of days in the RFW.

Example: A 4-day sequence – valued at 21.00 – was XR’d. The daily value of Sequence Protection is 5.15 (21.00/4). If a pilot was available for the first two days and declined the last two days, Sequence Protection (SPROT PC) of 10.30 (5.15 x 2) would be annotated by PayComp. If that same sequence was scheduled to operated south of the Equator, the RFW contractually extends 30 hours past the original Sequence Footprint. In this scenario, a 5-day RFW is created. That same 21.00 value is divided by five days instead of four.

More questions? Make plans to join our Contract Compliance Town Hall at 1000 Central on March 29. More details are available at AlliedPilots.org/Calendar.

Management Interpretation of Procedures

This is a new message from the Captain’s Authority Committee.

Chief Pilots (CP)/Duty Pilots are generating their own interpretations of FOM procedure — for example, stating that the gate agent is not required to report to the Captain prior to entry door closure and jet bridge/stair removal. That’s incorrect.

FOM 3g.8.6 Jet Bridge/Stairs Removal

Prior to removing the jet bridge or passenger stairs, the gate agent will:

Inform the captain and the FA 1/purser of the cabin location and quantity of any lithium batteries from assistive devices
Verify the flight crew has the required paperwork and the captain is ready to depart

The “flight crew” includes both the flight attendants and the flight deck crew. If the agent closes the door without the Captain’s authorization, call operations and request the agent to open the door and return to the flight deck to receive the required authorization.

The Captain is the ultimate authority concerning all flight operations of the cabin crew, pilots, and the aircraft.

More Unity-Building Opportunities: Come Join Us

The Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo is scheduled from March 28 through April 2 in Lakeland, Fla. The national APA Family Awareness Committee has reserved an air-conditioned pavilion with private restrooms, and they plan to serve lunch on March 30 and 31 plus dinner on April 1. Click here to buy tickets. Use code APA442 to get a $5 discount on daily admission or a $30 discount on a week’s pass.

The Wings Over Homestead Air Show is scheduled from 0900 to 1500 on April 1 and 2 at the Homestead Air Reserve Base. Admission and parking are free (we recommend arriving early due to limited parking).

Join Us for Fini Flight Celebrations

Family Awareness and The Grey Eagles have teamed up for a new initiative known as “Fini Flight.” The goal of Fini Flight is to ensure that every retiring American Airlines pilot who wants a sendoff as part of their last flight receives one. (You can see more photos on APA’s Facebook page.)

Please join us if your schedule allows.

March 19 at ORD: CA Roy Paget is scheduled to depart at 1915 on Flight 86. Pre-flight celebration from 1750-1815 at the departure gate.
March 24 at MIA: CA Ray Lisa is scheduled to depart at 1720 on Flight 112. Pre-flight celebration begins at 1515, pilot lounge in Miami Ops.

We need volunteers who can contact retiring pilots and their significant others to help determine individual preferences. If you’re willing to be one of those volunteers, email finiflight@alliedpilots.org.

Watch or Listen to National Town Hall Meeting

During the National Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, APA President CA Ed Sicher and Vice President CA Chris Torres briefed the members in attendance and fielded questions with the assistance of several national committees, including the Grievance Resolution Ad Hoc, Family Awareness, Contract Compliance, Maintenance and Technical Analysis, Scheduling, and STOP committees, as well as the National Communications Network. If you missed it, click here to watch a recording.

If you would prefer to listen to the town hall meeting, search for “APA” or “Allied Pilots Association” on any platform where you download podcasts. We have made the audio available in that format as well.

Benton House Dedication and Celebration of Life

On March 7, APA renamed its Capitol Hill property the Benton House in honor of CA Johnathan Benton, the union’s longtime Government Affairs Committee Chair. CA Benton lost his life in a light aircraft accident in January.

The Benton House dedication was followed by a celebration of life, with U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions delivering the keynote address.

This short video features highlights from the two events.

Notice to Former Envoy Pilots With 401(k) Accounts

There is an opportunity to transfer your 401(k) account balance from the Envoy plan to the American Airlines Pilot Only 401(k) Plan. If you wish to have your account transferred, you must act quickly. Envoy must receive your completed transfer request by mail, delivery, or fax no later than Friday, 3/22/2023.
Please submit your completed Voluntary In-Service Plan-to-Plan Transfer Election Form to the Envoy Air Inc. 401(k) Plan by either:

Facsimile at 972-374-5609
Email at Envoy.401k@AA.com

Management has provided the following schedule for the transferred amounts (this will not apply to amounts in the AA Pilot Only 401(k) Plan):

Last day for elections to be received at Envoy: 3/22/2023
Blackout notice mail date: 4/11/2023
Self-directed brokerage account liquidation date: 5/03/2023
Blackout period start date: 5/15/2023
Valuation date: 5/17/2023
Asset transfer date: 5/18/2023
Blackout end week: 5/28/2023

(Note: 5/29/2023 is Memorial Day)

If you have any questions about the Voluntary In-Service Plan-to-Plan Transfer Election Form prior to the transfer, please contact Empower Retirement at 1-800-345-2345. If you have questions post the transfers, please contact Fidelity Investments at 1-800-354-3412. You can also email Envoy.401k@AA.com with questions as well.

Pigs of the Week

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 Feb. 20, A320 aircraft 669 has been written up eight times and has been out of service four times for an ELAC (Elevator and Aileron Computer) 2 fault. It was last returned to service on March 16.
Since March 9, B737 aircraft 3NW has been written up six times and has been out of service four times for a hydraulic system master caution. It remains out of service and has a TAC restricting routing to Class 1 maintenance stations only.

APA Welcomes New Pilots

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

Click the image for a closer look.

The APA Membership Committee welcomed the following pilots during a casual dinner on March 14: Joel Aguilar, Tanmay Amin, Tyler Arnold, David Arriola, Biniam Bahta, Shawn Bailey, Ryan Booher, Jacob Bourassa, Jayson Brown, James Cadman, Erik Camacho, Cody Camps, Keith Chikasawa, Clayton Cook, Daniel Donald, Nectar Esquinca, Richard Flake, Emiliano Grecco, Judd Hale, Mekki Hassan, Richard Holt, Michael Karolchik, Joshua Kubacz, Diego Larrea Velezmoro, Nathan Mayers, Thomas Mc Cracken, Mitchell McCoy, Nand Mehta, Christopher Mellott, William Mutchler, Elton O'Brien, Manuel Pelati Otero, Shaun Perez, Jonathan Portillo Gonzalez, Jordan Richey, Derek Rogers, Jason Shaw, Brian Smith, Jason Struebing, Monica Sweeten, Issam Taha, Timothy Topping, Andrew Wartenberg, Cody Wendel, Lyndon Willkom, and Tyler Wright.

APA Welcomes Captains’ Leadership Class

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

On March 15, the APA Membership Committee hosted a casual dinner for the following pilots who were in Fort Worth for American Airlines’ Professionalism, Leadership, and Mentoring class: Jeremy Blick, Joseph Bourne, Charles Cisneros, William Coley, Dennis Delapaz, Nathan Deneault, Austin Doughty, Adam Falk, Chad Garretson, Cesar Gutierrez, Brian Hull, Alan Isrow, Christopher Jones, Robert Jones, Scott Kulle, Gregg Landess, Steven Lloyd, Andi Lusha, Clinton Macarthur, Thomas Mack Jr, Matthew Madura, Terrence Mitchell, Troy Mobley, Ruben Noriega, Jason Phillips, Brian Pinckard, Frank Rauch, Ryan Ray, Randall Scoggins, Michael Stupey, Bob Tobin, Craig Vincent, and Pedro Zambrano.

Domicile Elections

BOS, LAX, and ORD pilots will elect a Chair and a Vice Chair to represent each domicile on the APA Board of Directors. The elected pilots’ two-year terms will begin on May 1.

CA Charles Hill withdrew his candidacy for BOS Chair, so CA Paul McFarland was automatically elected to that position, effective May 1. Also, CA Ed Cook withdrew his candidacy for LAX Vice Chair.

Election Round ballots listing the following candidates were mailed on March 9, and they will be tallied on March 30.

BOS Vice Chair
CA Gemma Meehan
FO Matthew Poisson

LAX Vice Chair
CA Tim Dick
CA Juli Zabos

ORD Chair
CA DeWayne Geoghagan
CA Jon Glenna
CA Wes Smith

ORD Vice Chair
FO Thomas Hickson
FO Chris Lawson
FO Paul Meyers

CA Bill Evans was unopposed in his bid for LAX Chair.

If necessary, Runoff Round ballots would be mailed to ORD pilots on April 6 and tallied on April 27.

For more information, visit AlliedPilots.org/Elections.

Domicile Events

Get more details about these upcoming events at AlliedPilots.org/Calendar:

BOS: Joint teleconference with LGA on April 5; Pilot Retirement Party on April 16
CLT: In-person domicile meeting on March 22
DFW: In-person domicile meeting on March 21
LGA: Joint teleconference with BOS on April 5; In-person domicile meeting on April 18
MIA: Wings Over Homestead Air Show on April 1 and 2; MSY commuter party on April 15; Concourse Conversations on April 20
ORD: Family Awareness event at a Blackhawks game on March 26; Pilot Retirement Party on April 28

That calendar also includes details about these upcoming Grey Eagles luncheons:

DFW: March 29

Are You Willing to Serve?

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

Aeromedical Committee (0)
- Disabled Pilot Awareness Subcommittee (3)
- Human Intervention Motivation Study Subcommittee (1)
- Pilot Occupational Health Subcommittee (2)
- Project Wingman Subcommittee (4)
Captain’s Authority Committee (4)
Communications Committee (0)

National Communications Network (7)

Compass Project (6)
Grey Eagles Liaison Committee (1)
Hotel Committee (3)
Professional Standards Committee (3)
Retirement & Benefits Committee (2)
Safety Committee (0)

Air Traffic and Procedures Subcommittee (3)
ASAP (1)
Environmental Sustainability in Aviation Subcommittee (2)
Flight Operations Quality Assurance Subcommittee (1)

Scheduling Committee (10)
Training Committee (3)
Uniform (1-F)

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

Professional Standards FAQs

Why isn’t management part of the Professional Standards Committee?
This is a peer-to-peer program. Correcting behavior through peer engagement and awareness offers a potentially permanent solution. Management fully supports the work of the Professional Standards committee by providing vast resources and thoughtful input toward improving the process.

To read all of the FAQs, click here.

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

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