APA News Digest

April 27, 2024

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In This Edition ...

Making the Most of APA’s Resources

Last month, every domicile had volunteers and base representatives in the terminals talking with pilots and gathering feedback. We followed up this weeklong effort with one-day Concourse Conversations at each domicile. As emphasized previously, these are not isolated events. APA volunteers will be engaging in Concourse Conversations through the end of the year. You deserve transparency and timely information and to know that union leadership hears your concerns and is acting on them.

Three weeks ago, we highlighted a notable change for our union – the development of the latest version of the APA Strategic Plan. Now it’s time to time into specific elements of the plan.

The first part of the plan addresses APA’s organizational structure, making it more adaptive and collaborative. Too often, our volunteers and staff have been siloed, resulting in an inefficient use of resources. Aligning efforts under an overall strategic plan – and implementing recommendations from the Governance and Reform Committee – will help integrate our committees and increase their effectiveness on your behalf.

In addition to aligning committee efforts under the plan, we are exploring advanced technology to help streamline committee work. As we incorporate these solutions, APA’s focus will be bolstering information security and fostering greater collaboration. Our NCN Volunteers will have additional information on this element of the APA Strategic Plan in upcoming Concourse Conversations.

Now back to feedback from the last few rounds of Concourse Conversations, with many of you voicing concerns regarding TTS:

  • You’re frustrated the system is locked down and trades don’t occur easily or at all.
  • Trip pairings are built to the legal limits, with long duty days.
  • You want transparency with the Red/Green lights and an improved user interface.

We shared your feedback with the Scheduling Committee as they focus on securing system enhancements. Other areas of concerns you cited:

  • The prospect of a change in retirement age to 67.
  • Maintenance-related issues and an increase in problems on Right Start Flights.
  • Medical reimbursements.
  • Hotel wait times.
  • Jumpseat-related questions.

We likewise shared this additional feedback with the appropriate subject-matter experts.

In addition, you expressed overall satisfaction with the APA Pilot app, with several of you suggesting we add a link to APA updates and a calendar sync function. APA IT is now incorporating these enhancements.

In the following weeks, please continue to send SoundOff messages, provide feedback to NCN Volunteers in the terminals, and engage your domicile representatives. Your feedback is vital as we concentrate our resources on addressing the issues that matter most to you.

Your voice is our future.

“I Don’t Fly a Plane Unless It’s Safe”

On April 19, APA spokesman CA Dennis Tajer appeared on Fox Business to discuss the recent Congressional hearings focused on Boeing as well as our concerns about a spike in safety issues. You can watch his six-minute interview with Maria Bartiromo on our website, but here are a few highlights:

Why does it feel like we have an increase in safety issues?
“What we’re seeing right now is a pressure on the safety margin. All the things that we look for that happen – usually singularly – are now happening at the same time. … The good news is our management’s engaged with us on stopping this trend that we see happening before it leads to incidents or accidents.”

What should consumers do if they’re worried?
“This business is not about perfect flights; I haven’t been on one in 36 years. Always small things happen. The idea is that you trap those errors. And the problem right now is there’s an extra wave of unforced errors coming into our cockpits.”

It is safe to fly right now?
“Absolutely. I don’t fly a plane unless it’s safe. I may work for American Airlines, I may have a license from the FAA, but I’m morally and professionally obligated to fight every aggressor – be it a system, the airplane, an airline, management teams, you name it – when I have 170-plus people on my airplane. So know that it’s safe out there, but what we’re saying as professional pilots is there’s an immense amount of pressure, so we’ve got to change our game and bring it up to the level of where the threats are.”

Problem on the Line? Call Us First

This is a new message from the APA Professional Standards Committee.

Professional Standards operates on confidentiality. People are willing to self-assess and change when their public image is not threatened, so if you have a problem on the line, call us at 817-402-2181. Don’t take your conflict to social media; take it to a venue for resolution. Professional Standards cannot assist you after you make a problem public because we would not be able to maintain confidentiality.

You may recall a recent Distance Learning module that told you to report all workplace problems to management, even ones you felt had been resolved on the peer-to-peer level. Other workgroups are being given the same guidance. Don’t contribute to a toxic culture of “informing” on your peers. Call Professional Standards first at 817-402-2181 and build a better workplace. Tell your coworkers from other workgroups to do the same.

American Reports $297M Loss Despite Record Revenue

This is a new message from the APA Economic and Financial Analysis Committee.

American Airlines reported its quarterly financial results on Thursday. Here are our key takeaways:

  • American reported an adjusted pre-tax loss of $297 million, on the back of record revenue and costs that increased much more quickly. The company is touting its new distribution system, and it looks to have more transactions processed by their website/software, which should send fewer dollars out the door.
  • Fuel prices were down, but the additional $586 million in salaries and related costs was only slightly offset by spending $438 million fewer on fuel, which drug down profitability.
  • Interest expense of $379 million is lower than the same quarter last year but still almost double what United and Delta are paying to service their debt. With razor-thin margins, this still remains a notable headwind.

Click here for more analysis.

APA Contract Minute – Average Calendar Day

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

CA Jason Saxer is back with another edition of the APA Contract Minute. This time around, CA Saxer explains how the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement fixed the Average Calendar Day donut hole.

Register for Contract Training at ORD

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

The Contract Compliance Committee wants to do everything we can to ensure that all APA members are well acquainted with the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Join us on May 2 in ORD for a full day of training on the new CBA. This training will be conducted in hybrid fashion, with members welcome to participate in person at the Doubletree Hotel in Rosemont from 0900 to 1630 or virtually via Zoom. Additionally, in-person IMAX training is scheduled for May 1 from 0900 to 1200 at the Doubletree. If you plan to attend either session, RSVP so we have an accurate headcount for the food orders. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Please take a few moments before the training to familiarize yourself with the Electronic Document Index. You must be logged in to AlliedPilots.org for the links to be accessible. This Index connects you to a vast array of APA documents that we will reference. It is equally useful in the daily operation as a line pilot, so we recommend you retain the Index for future reference. During the training, it may be helpful to have two screens; one to run Zoom and one to reference these documents.

Help us help you! The Contract Compliance Committee’s goal is for you – the membership – to be informed, educated, and knowledgeable. Every single pilot should strive to be a contract expert or, at the very least, strive for continued learning and engagement. Knowledge is power, and it will assist you in employing and being a watchdog of your negotiated work rules.

Hotel Sign-In Security Protocol

This is a new message from the APA Hotel Committee.

When conducting site reviews, APA and AA always ask the hotel if they can provide pre-keyed rooms and a quick method for crews to check in. For most hotels, this means they provide a binder with a sign-in sheet. Part of the beauty of this system is that we can sign in even when the front desk staff is busy with other guests. For security concerns, please always remember to close the binder and place it back across the desk, away from guests, after you sign in if the staff is not available to hand it directly back to them. The sign-in sheet typically has crew members’ room numbers along with their employee numbers, and it should not be accessible to other guests. It’s very easy for someone to walk up to the desk and inconspicuously take a quick picture if the binder is left out and open. Thank you for safeguarding this information and taking care of yourself and other crew members.

For more information, check out the recently updated QRH – Quick Reference Hotels document. This resource answers 99 percent of all hotel, transportation, and layover questions while providing helpful solutions. Suggestion: Download this QRH document to your AA iPad for easy access in the future.

CIRP Volunteer of the Quarter

This is a new message from the Critical Incident Response Program Subcommittee.

Caring, empathetic, calm, and kind are just a few of the words that describe CA Heidi Theile, who is the inaugural recipient of our Volunteer of the Quarter Award.

She is being honored for her contributions to the CIRP team, of course. Not only is she an active peer support volunteer, CA Theile also helps coordinate other volunteers as they respond to our crews. But she is also being honored for her community service.

During a recent overnight in ORF, CA Theile noticed a young man who was getting ready to jump off a bridge into a river with a strong current. She alerted the hotel’s front desk and asked them to call 911. CA Theile then proceeded directly to the young man and began using her Critical Incident Stress Management skills to talk him down and move him away from the edge. She sat with him and listened to him, letting him know she cared about him. After a while, law enforcement officers arrived and made sure he would be taken care of. CA Theile then got ready to go to work via the hotel’s shuttle.

Just another day of assisting someone in crisis. Some days, it’s just a listening ear; other days, it’s saving someone’s life.

APFA to Conduct Systemwide Picketing on May 9

This is a repeated message from the APA Strike and Tactical Operations Planning Committee.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants will conduct systemwide picketing on May 9. We encourage you to show your solidarity with our flight attendants in their efforts to secure a suitable contract by joining them on the picket line. As we receive additional information about the picketing, we will pass it along.

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.

  • In the last two weeks, A320 aircraft 125 has been written up five times and been out of service twice for number 1 VHF static. It was most recently signed off on April 20.
  • Since March 18, the right windshield heat on B787 aircraft 8LE has been written up seven times and been out of service four times. It was most recently signed off on April 26.
  • UPDATE: Since March 14, B777 aircraft 7AD has been written up 13 times and been out of service seven times for an ELMS (electrical load management system) P110 fault. At the time of this writing, it remained out of service.

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 April 23: Corey Abrams, Naseer Ahmad, Kenneth Allen, Juliano Amaral Zandonai, Kenneth Bentley, Kris Bergemann, Maria Borde, Nathaniel Brannum, Benjamin Brittle, Keith Carlton, Carey Cooke, Ethan Coughlin, Zachariah Done, Casey Farrington, Nicholas Ferri, Agustin Flores, Robert Fox Jr., Kevin Friel, Jacob Fulton, Douglas Gilmore, Colin Gunn, Tyler Hardin, Adrian Hopson, Blake Hunter, Jason Kelsall, Adam Kieda, Bryan Liggett, Sandro Lipke, Theodore Martin, Michael Nixon, Hung Kai Peng, John Phillips, Lee Postier, Andrew Power, Thomas Randolph III, Nicholas Saxon, Kyle Stockamp, Brandon Tutewohl, Karl Wallskog, Dustin Williams, Eric Williamson, Trevor Wold, and Anthony Woodard.

APA Welcomes Captains’ Leadership Class

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

Click the image for a closer look.

On April 24, 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: Jeffrey Ayo, Benedict Buerke, Edward Carballosa, Lee Clifford, Paul DiOrio, Thurman Dunn II, Fernando Erazo Marquez, Joshua Gillespie, Jennifer Grywalski, Matthew Hall, Mark Hansen, Eric Hart, Scott Henry, David Isenberg, William Lane III, Thomas Lawler, Rein Lewis, John Malinowski, Charles Price, Justin Price, Richard Robichaud, Carib Sampson Miranda, Christopher Scott Jr., Brian Smith, Shaun Steinbarger, and Jason Zimmermann.

Domicile Events

Do you know how to check APA’s master calendar for upcoming events and confirm your attendance? This short video provides a tutorial.

Visit AlliedPilots.org/Calendar to RSVP for any of these upcoming domicile events:

  • DCA: Retirement Party on June 29
  • DFW: Pilots For Kids Golf Tournament on May 20; Texas Rangers game on Aug. 6
  • LAX: Retirement Party on April 27; Family Awareness lunch in Thousand Oaks on May 8; Family Awareness lunch in Dana Point on May 9; IMAX and TTS Training at the San Diego Yacht Club on May 10; Family Awareness lunch in San Diego on May 14; Family Awareness lunch in Temecula on May 15
  • LGA: Refinery Rooftop Social on May 18; New York Mets game on Sept. 2
  • MIA: Air Dot Show at FLL on May 11 and 12
  • ORD: Domicile Meeting on May 1; IMAX Training on May 1; Contract Compliance Training on May 2; Retirement Party on May 4; Galt Airport Fly-In and Pancake Breakfast on May 25
  • PHL: Philadelphia Phillies game on June 18

DFW Domicile Election

Electronic voting for the Runoff Round of the DFW Domicile Election closes at 1200 Central on April 30. For more infomation, visit the Elections page on AlliedPilots.org.

Week in Review

Here are several recent messages you may have missed.

Are You Willing to Serve?

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

  • Aeromedical Committee (1)
    • Disabled Pilot Awareness Subcommittee (3)
    • Human Intervention Motivation Study Subcommittee (1)
    • Pilot Occupational Health Subcommittee (2)
    • Project Wingman Subcommittee (3)
  • Appeal Board (1)
  • Captain’s Authority Committee (3)
  • Communications Committee (0)
    • National Communications Network (7)
  • Flight Time/Duty Time Committee (1)
  • Scheduling Committee (6)
  • Training Committee (5)
    • Checkmate (1 on 777)

If you would like to serve on one or more of these committees, visit the Member Engagement Portal.

Professional Standards FAQs

What time frame can be expected when Professional Standards is working an issue?
Professional Standards issues will normally be resolved within a few days. Due to scheduling complexities, some cases may take longer. The expectation is that committee volunteers will be as timely as possible and not delay the processing of any issue submitted to the PS committee. Most cases are resolved within two days.

To read all of the FAQs, click here.

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

Free PGA Tour Tickets for Military Personnel

The PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge is scheduled for May 23-26 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. All active, reserve, and retired military personnel can get free tickets, a parking pass, and access to a hospitality tent for one day of the tournament. Click here for more information.

If You’re 50, Join The Grey Eagles

Are you a pilot for American Airlines, at least age 50, active or retired? Please join The Grey Eagles for food, fun, and fellowship. We offer cruises, conventions, monthly luncheons, retirement dinners, professional mentoring, and assistance to surviving spouses – all for a one-time lifetime fee.

Pilot Job Fairs and Future Pilot Seminars

Future & Active Pilot Advisors’ next Pilot Job Fair and Future Pilot Seminar are scheduled for May 18 at HNL. Click here for more information.

Industry News

For more about what’s happening in the industry, be sure to visit the Industry News page on AlliedPilots.org.

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