With management’s announcement that pilot pay will be adjusted to be “equal to the highest pay rates currently in place at either Delta or United” effective next month, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge your sacrifices and steadfast professionalism. A filing by the company today with the Securities and Exchange Commission noted that the increases will average approximately 8 percent for pilots. This step forward is a great credit to you, the pilots of American Airlines.

For some time, your APA leadership has been emphasizing the need to align our compensation and working conditions with those of our industry-leader peers. This long-overdue pay rate increase represents a welcome initiative by management and suggests that our efforts are beginning to bear fruit — and it would never have happened without your support.

We look forward to ongoing engagement with management to address issues of common concern, including other contractual disparities between us and our peers. I was pleased to see the reference to pursuing “improvements in crew scheduling and administration” in the letter from CA Kimball Stone and David Seymour. Also, CA Stone informed me today that management would like to continue discussions with APA regarding the length of service and long-term disability provisions of our contract. This kind of collaborative, problem-solving approach will definitely help foster the culture change that has been a stated goal of both management and APA since the merger of American Airlines and US Airways.

Fellow pilots, thank you for the vital role you play in your union and airline. With your support and participation, I am optimistic that we can continue “building trust” at American Airlines.

In Unity,

CA Dan Carey
APA President