APA News Digest

Sept. 20, 2024

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In This Edition ...

Dream Flights: 7,000 Flights and Counting

an elderly man in a WWII-era plane

Dream Flights visited DFW on Wednesday, flying four veterans in WWII-era Boeing Stearman biplanes. For the past few years, APA has been a proud supporter of Dream Flights, which characterizes its mission as giving back to those who gave.

Several APA members have served as Dream Flights pilots, with LAX-based FO Zach Harris of the APA Professional Standards Committee at the controls for Wednesday’s flights honoring these veterans:

  • Carlyle Hayes, 99, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who patrolled the East Coast during WWII hunting for enemy submarines. (Mr. Hayes was on board for Dream Flights’ 7,000th flight.)
  • Al Chatwin, 98, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Pacific Theater.
  • Jerry Brown, 92, a U.S. Air Force veteran who served as a radar operator during the Korean War and thereafter.
  • Bill Henry, 76, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the 1st Cavalry Division during the Vietnam War.

an elderly man and a younger man in a WWII-era plane

You can see more photos on APA’s Facebook page. We have also uploaded a video to our YouTube account.

Additionally, KDFW-TV (Fox), KTVT-TV (CBS), and KXAS-TV (NBC) covered Wednesday’s Dream Flights visit for their viewers.

Don’t Forget to Check in With the Captain

This is a new message from the APA Jumpseat/Non-Rev Committee.

You listed for a jumpseat and got a boarding pass – hooray! Do you need to check in with the Captain?

It’s always a good idea, even when deadheading or non-revving, to let a Captain know there is a pilot on board.

Checking in with the Captain is required in these situations:

1. When issued a “W” pass on any AA flight, present your ID and boarding pass to the Captain. Introduce yourself as an AA pilot who has been awarded a “W” pass and state, “I would like permission to ride in your jumpseat.”

AA pilots listed for a JRS listing (D1/2W) and issued a cabin seat are non-rev passengers and not considered additional crew members (ACM).

2. When issued a FDJ or cabin seat on OAL flight where you are using jumpseat privileges (not a confirmed seat you purchased or an ID90), have your medical and certificate ready to present. Introduce yourself, who you work for, and state, “I would like permission to ride in your jumpseat” or “I would like your permission to occupy a cabin seat as a jumpseater.”

In both cases, you are an ACM, and checking in with the Captain is required.

Also, proper jumpseat attire includes your airline uniform or business casual attire – no denim. APA does not recommend leather “tennis type” shoes, as they may be considered athletic shoes.

Overage Hotels for October

This is a new message from the APA Hotel Committee.

Below is the list of overage hotels that will be utilized in October. If you are scheduled to stay at one of these properties, we recommend you review our recent article about non-contracted hotels.

  • BMG: SpringHill Suites Bloomington
  • CID: Avid
  • CLE: Crowne Plaza Playhouse and Hilton Garden Inn Airport
  • DCA: Residence Inn Capital View
  • LBB: The Overton
  • LEX: Springhill Fritz Farm
  • MFE: Casa De Palmas
  • ONT: Doubletree Ontario Airport and Embassy Suites Ontario
  • PIT: Crowne Plaza South and Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh
  • PVD: Hilton Downtown Providence
  • SDF: The Brown Hotel
  • UVF: Zoetry Marigot Bay
  • XNA: Aloft, Hampton Inn, and Hilton Garden Inn

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.

Updates on Our Latest Releases

This is a new message from the APA Information Technology Steering Committee.

MyOT Being Decommissioned and Replaced with MyOT Beta

On Sept. 27, the original MyOT will be decommissioned and replaced with the new MyOT Beta service currently available in the APA Pilot app. For MyOT Beta setup instructions and FAQs, please visit the Latest Releases section of our committee’s webpage.

An update to MyOT Beta was released this week. It included a major overhaul to the service, incorporating elements from the AA OpsHub data feed. We welcome as much feedback as possible to ensure it continues to perform as expected for our pilots.

APA Pilot App Services Now Available Via Desktop

The following APA Pilot app services can now be accessed through your desktop browser:

An “APA Pilot App Direct Links” link has been added to the Quick Links menu on AlliedPilots.org.

Robocall v2.0 to be Released Soon

The APA Robocall product has been significantly overhaled to support call redundancy, adding an “Acknowledge Call” feature and integrating a second vendor for alternate call routing.

When you enable the “Acknowledge Call” feature, Robocall will ask you to actively respond by pressing any digit on your phone to confirm you have received the message. Failing to press the digit, having the call go directly to voicemail, or not receiving the call due to a provider failure will immediately result in another call from the designated secondary provider. All you need to do to enable this feature is check the “Acknowledge Call” option by the phone number(s) you have associated in Robocall.

Aviation Safety Action Program Seeks Volunteers

This is an updated message from the APA Safety Committee.

The APA Safety Committee is looking for several line pilots to serve with the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP), one of the cornerstones of the AA Safety Management System. As the volume of ASAP reports increases, we need additional committee members to handle the growing workload.

Candidates need strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills, excellent writing ability, and solid deductive reasoning. Among the duties of our ASAP volunteers:

  • Conducting pilot debriefs of ASAP events to identify root causes and assist in developing mitigation strategies to help prevent a recurrence.
  • Participating with American Airlines Safety and the Federal Aviation Administration in twice-weekly meetings as an APA Event Review Committee member to research, process, and respond to ASAP reports.
  • Tracking and trending recurring events to mitigate identified risks.

APA is committed to working with the FAA and American Airlines Safety personnel to effect meaningful change and strengthen the airline’s safety culture. We encourage you to apply if you are interested in contributing to this effort. The application window will remain open until Oct. 4. We will invite qualified applicants to interview while the application window is open and after it closes.

Send your resume and cover letter (no phone calls, please) to:

Amber Callahan
Safety, Training, Security, Aeromedical, and Professional Standards Coordinator
STSAP-Admin@alliedpilots.org

CIRP Volunteer of the Quarter

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

a man holding a trophy in front of a piano

DFW-based 777 CA Jeff Rich is a man of many talents, and we’re grateful he somehow finds time in his busy schedule to serve as a CIRP volunteer. A Navy veteran, CA Rich served as a KC/C-130 pilot based in Rota, Spain, participating in a broad range of missions throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. He also served as an instructor at Naval Air Station Pensacola and developed a program for at-risk school children in the area. He joined American Airlines in 1992. In his free time, CA Rich mentors aspiring young aviators and enjoys organic gardening, cooking, skiing, and mountain biking. If you need help figuring out which vegetables grow in tough Texas soil, he’s your man!

Our Recommended Reading List

This is a new message from the APA Aeromedical Committee.

In an effort to improve our members’ health, we have created a recommended reading list. Each month, we will highlight a book that has helped in the prevention of, treatment of, or recovery from an injury or illness, or has elevated a member’s education. Feel free to send your book recommendations to aeromed-committee@alliedpilots.org.

Understanding Addiction: Know Science, No Stigma

Doctors Chuck Smith and Jason Hunt bring a unique and important perspective to the subject of addiction. Experts in the field, Smith and Hunt have personal, firsthand experience with the humiliation and shame that accompanies substance use disorder. But addiction, as they point out, is a disease, no less so than diabetes or heart disease, and it needs to be treated as such. If you, or a loved one, is struggling with addiction, you’ll find help in this book. By understanding the science behind addiction, you can begin to move forward. Beyond the stigma lies hope.

Disclaimer: This recommendation is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services. Always consult with your medical provider when making health care decisions.

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, the ground proximity warning system on A321 aircraft 540 has been written up eight times, been on a Category A three-day MEL twice for a combined six days, and been out of service six times. It was most recently signed off on Sept. 20 and was restricted to AA maintenance stations at the time of this writing.
  • In the last month, the left global positioning system on B737 aircraft 3HV has been written up eight times, been out of service twice, and been on MEL four times for a combined 24 days. At the time of this writing, it remained on MEL.

APA Welcomes Leadership Class

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

a group of pilots in a lobby

Click the image for a closer look.

On Sept. 18, 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: Daniel Allen, Anthony Bevilacqua, Timothy Buchanan, Aaron Buhr, Robert De Pol, James Edwards, Jonathan Espin, John Gorman III, David Grojean, Nehad Hmoud, Michael Hoxmeier, David Huddler, Matthew Husbands, Joshua Kratz, Donald Luczak, Patrick McBride, Jesse McGough, David Pettey, Robert Porter Jr., Jason Scales, Daniel Shaheen, Michael Stock, Aran Stynes, John Thomas, Michael Valdes, and Erik Whitt.

APA Medical Minute – Over-the-Counter Medications

a woman at a desk

In the latest edition of the APA Medical Minute, APA Medical Advisor Tina Smith discusses restrictions related to over-the-counter medications, noting that any misuse can have an adverse impact on aviation safety.

You can watch previous Medical Minute videos on APA’s YouTube channel.

AAL’s “Commercial Reset Could Take Time”
AAL Down 19.1%, DAL Up 17.2%, UAL Up 27.5%

This week, Barclays and Deutsche Bank analysts updated their views on AAL. The following are excerpts from their notes to investors:

Brandon Oglenski of Barclays

  • Commercial Reset Could Take Time: Unforced error with corporate customers this summer led to share loss, but management addressing the challenges; recouping losses could take time, but lower growth and cost efficiencies could help the margin outlook into 2025.
  • In the second quarter this year, American had attempted to transition corporate accounts to a lower cost, owned distribution channel and was about to begin taking away frequent flyer benefits for booking occurring on legacy distribution systems. This led to significant disruption and frustration for some of American’s largest corporate customers, likely leading to book-away to competing airlines such as Delta and United.
  • On the positive side, American’s relative unit revenue should benefit from the carrier’s lower growth profile as well as less ambitious industry expansion this winter. American exceeded elevated industry capacity expansion in the second quarter while also attempting the ill-fated transition to NDC. Beyond the commercial challenges this summer, we think excess growth in American markets also added to unit revenue pressure. Management is quick to highlight the company’s quick reaction to the third and fourth quarter, with scheduled growth closer to 4% relative to second quarter expansion of nearly 9%.
  • Convertible maturity looms in 2025, but American maintains flexibility to potentially refinance; consistent aircraft capital investments and increased operating efficiency gains help the outlook. Reduced debt leverage against American’s loyalty plan and potential new aircraft financing provide some optionality for American to deal with the $1.0bn of convertible notes that are due next year. Further, with expectations for annual aircraft capital spending of $3-3.5bn, American should generate enough cash to manage normal annual debt amortization, which is around $4bn for the next few years.

Michael Linenberg of Deutsche Bank

  • American’s year-to-date share price has materially underperformed the market (down 19.1% vs. S&P 500 gain of 19.8%) and its two peers, Delta (up 17.2%) and United (up 27.5%), but for good reason. The combination of an aggressive distribution strategy (which the company estimates will “hit” 2024 revenue by $1.5 billion), significant low-fare carrier market overlap, as well as the most exposure to the two most challenging geographies, i.e., domestic (67% of total available seat miles or ASMs) and Latin America (16% of total ASMs) have pressured American’s earnings for much of 2024.
  • However, we see those earnings headwinds turning into tailwinds for the remainder of 2024 as American reverses course on its distribution strategy, low-fare carriers scale back their growth aspirations (e.g., low-fare carrier domestic capacity projected to be down 3% year-over-year in the December quarter), and domestic and Latin America unit revenue trends move toward positive territory. Furthermore, we estimate that American’s Atlantic unit revenue for the December quarter will be at or near the top for the industry. (Note that American’s Pacific franchise is only ~4% of total ASMs). Lastly, American has the most operating and financial leverage among its peer group, so an improving industry backdrop is likely to have a greater impact to the company’s bottom line than its competitors.

Credit Card Revenue: Delta ($7B) Beat American ($5.2B)

Today, CNBC reported that American is in talks to make Citi its exclusive credit card partner. The following are excerpts from the article:

  • “While it says it has the largest loyalty program, American was out-earned by Delta there, which made nearly $7 billion in payments from its American Express card partnership last year, compared with $5.2 billion for American.”
  • “American has been working with banks and card networks on a new long-term deal for months, hoping to consolidate its business with a single player to boost the revenue haul from its cards, said the people.”
  • “Airlines rely on card programs to help them stay afloat, earning billions of dollars a year from banks in exchange for miles that customers earn when they use their cards. Those partnerships were crucial during the pandemic, when travel demand dried up, but consumers kept spending and earning miles on their cards. Carriers have said growth in card spending has far exceeded that of passenger revenue in recent years.”

APA Welcomed to NATCA Conference

a group of pilots in a lobby

APA Air Traffic and Procedures Subcommittee members CA Drew Watkins, FO Ric Babcock, CA Angel Pinera, CA Andy Alfiero, CA Mike Jesch, CA Bill de Groh, CA Lev Prichard, and CA Brian Townsend

The APA Safety Committee’s Air Traffic and Procedures Subcommittee attended the National Air Traffic Controllers Association’s 25th Communicating For Safety conference this week in Las Vegas. Our team was augmented by members of the Aviation Safety Action Program Subcommittee, the Learning Improvement Team, and the Professional Standards Committee. This conference provides a unique opportunity to directly engage with the hundreds of air traffic controllers from across the country and internationally. Your representatives discussed our issues and concerns from the flight deck perspective as well as gained a better understanding of the challenges controllers are facing with mandatory six-day work weeks and overtime that impacts them personally and professionally. Additionally, the team attended the annual Archie League Medal of Safety dinner that honors exemplary efforts by ATC in assisting during aircraft emergencies over the last year.

We also participated in a pilot/controller breakout session that debuted one of a series of videos American Airlines and APA have developed to bring the flight deck to the controller. A go-around example was viewed and led to a robust discussion of what goes on within the flight crew during such events. Other examples have also been created and will be shown across the NAS to controllers by company and safety representatives. Several other topics were discussed that included energy management, runway changes, taxi speeds, and pilot and controller hiring. APA will continue to work closely with NATCA as we navigate the future together.

a group of pilots in a lobby

APA Professional Standards Committee members CA Linda Wackerman, FO Leslie Sanders, CA Pat McGinn, and FO Evan MacPhee

Domicile Elections

The Election Round voting period opened on Sept. 9 for elections at CLT, LGA, and MIA. Each domicile will elect a Chair and a Vice Chair for three-year terms that begin on Nov. 1.

The following candidates are listed on the ballots:

CLT Chair
CA Heather Ducimo Boulanger
CA Erik DeWinne
CA Casey Granger

CLT Vice Chair
FO Hickory Ham
CA Michael Pfeifer
FO Tammy Smart

LGA Chair
CA Jeff Kerr
CA Mark Lokey

LGA Vice Chair
CA David Hines
CA Sam Pool
CA James Scanlan

MIA Chair
CA Thomas Copeland
CA Andrew Weingram
CA Jay Wilhelm

MIA Vice Chair
FO James “Jamie” Funderburk
CA Anne Witcher

The Election Round voting period ends on Oct. 1.

Click here to learn more about the candidates, and click here to cast your vote.

Domicile Events

a group of pilots on a cruise ship

A crowd of about 140 pilots and guests enjoyed dinner aboard the South Beach Lady cruise ship on Sept. 14, when they celebrated MIA pilots who have recently retired. You can see more photos on APA’s Facebook page.

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

  • BOS: Telephone Town Hall Meeting on Oct. 7
  • CLT: Retirement Party on Sept. 21
  • DFW: Telephone Town Hall Meeting on Oct. 8; Retirement Party on Nov. 9; Holiday Party on Dec. 6
  • LAX: San Diego Lunch on Oct. 8; Thousand Oaks Lunch on Oct. 9; Dana Point Lunch on Oct. 10; Temecula Lunch on Oct. 16
  • LGA: Domicile Meeting on Oct. 3; Telephone Town Hall Meeting on Oct. 7; Retirement Party on Oct. 26
  • ORD: Telephone Town Hall Meeting on Oct. 8
  • PHL: Telephone Town Hall Meeting on Oct. 8; Retirement Party on Oct. 19

Week in Review

Here are some 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 (0)
    • Disabled Pilot Awareness Subcommittee (3)
    • Human Intervention Motivation Study Subcommittee (1)
    • Pilot Occupational Health Subcommittee (2)
    • Project Wingman Subcommittee (3)
  • Captain’s Authority Committee (2)
  • Communications Committee (0)
    • National Communications Network (2)
  • Economic and Financial Analysis Committee (1)
  • Grey Eagles Liaison Committee (2)
  • Professional Standards Committee (1)
  • Scheduling Committee (6)
  • Training Committee (4)
    • 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

Can management continue with a traditional process after releasing a case to Professional Standards?
No. Once an issue has been released to Professional Standards, management will not pursue action against an employee for actions contained in the referral.

To read all of the FAQs, click here.

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

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 Oct. 25 at DAL. 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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