APA News Digest

May 9, 2025

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In This Edition ...

APA-ALPA Merger Negotiation Committee Established

On Thursday, the APA Board of Directors voted to approve R2025-05 Rev 5, APA-ALPA Merger Negotiation Committee. Here are a few stipulations of that resolution:

  • “[The] APA-ALPA Merger Negotiation Committee shall be comprised of a minimum of three and a maximum of five members. … The APA President shall be an ex-officio voting member of the committee.”
  • “Until such time as the Committee cannot come to an agreement on merger terms, the Board of Directors does not approve a tentative merger agreement for submission to the membership, or the pilot group votes on a tentative merger agreement, or such time as APA reserves are depleted to an amount of $50M, APA shall be on a dues holiday.”
  • “The Committee shall be budgeted at $3,000,000 through FY26.”
  • “The merger threshold in C&B Article XIII.F.2. will not be modified or removed prior to a ratification vote on any merger agreement negotiated by this committee.” (From Article XIII.F.2.: “In order to change representation, an affiliation/merger agreement shall be ratified by a majority vote of the craft or class.”)

The resolution would also add the following language to the APA Constitution and Bylaws as Article XIII.F.4.:

“In the event the merger committee cannot come to an agreement on merger terms, the Board of Directors does not approve a tentative merger agreement for submission to the membership, or membership fails to ratify a negotiated merger/affiliation agreement in accordance with Section F.2 above, no merger/affiliation may be pursued with the same labor organization for a period of twenty-five (25) years from any of the above named events.”

Before adjourning their spring meeting today, the Board approved a motion directing APA President FO Nick Silva to do the following:

  • Notify ALPA of APA’s intent to pursue a merger agreement.
  • Request resumes from members in good standing who wish to serve on the APA-ALPA Merger Negotiation Committee. (Resumes would need to be submitted by May 23, with interviews scheduled for June 2-11.)
  • Schedule a special Board meeting for June 18-20, when the Board will elect the members of the APA-ALPA Merger Negotiation Committee.

APA Board of Directors Adjourns Spring Meeting

The APA Board of Directors reconvened at 0900 Central at APA headquarters for its regularly scheduled spring meeting.

The first order of business was a presentation from ORD FO Joe Johnson regarding the Ashton Johnson Memorial CloudDancer Scholarship, which benefits veterans interested in aviation as a career. He was accompanied by DFW FO William Francis, who was hired by American Airlines in 2023 and is among the 15 recipients of scholarships from the CloudDancer organization. FO Johnson said the organization plans to award six more scholarships this year. At the conclusion of their presentation, the Board voted to approve a $10,000 donation to CloudDancer.

The Michael Michaelis Safety Award for Excellence Committee – which is composed of APA President FO Nick Silva, PHX Domicile Vice Chair CA Jeremy Ryder, and APA Safety Committee Chair CA Jason Sharp – recommended that the award go to MIA pilots CA Mario Suarez and CA Mark Hopson. On May 12, 2023, shortly after takeoff from PEI in Colombia, the crew experienced a catastrophic engine failure after a bird strike. You can read more about that flight here. The Board approved the committee’s recommendation.

Before adjourning their spring meeting at 1311, the Board also approved the following:

  • A motion to add FO Mike Boger to the Strategic Planning Committee.
  • A motion to elect CA Wes Smith as Chair of the Executive Personnel Committee.
  • A motion to direct the Internal Compensation and Expenses Committee (ICC) to engage with the Delta MEC, the United MEC, and SWAPA to determine how each union compensates committee members and equivalents to the Board of Directors. The ICC will report this information during the summer Board meeting, in place of their scheduled fall Board meeting presentation.
  • A motion that the FY2025 budget for the System Board be increased by 1% of the value of the 1.D.4.h Scope grievance award to account for expenses related to that and the robust arbitration schedule.
  • A motion to direct FO Silva to invite American Airlines COO David Seymour and Senior Vice President of Flight Operations and IOC JC Gulbranson to the next regularly scheduled Board meeting. The invitation should be extended no later than May 13. FO Silva will report back to the Board within 24 hours of receiving a response.
  • A motion to amend the FY2026 budget by setting the Advanced Aircraft and Flight Systems (AAFS) Subcommittee’s budget to $171,363.50.
  • A motion to approve the FY2026 budget as amended.
  • A motion to reimburse FO Silva’s airfare and travel expenses for his trip to Incheon, South Korea, for the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations conference.

In accordance with R2016-10, we are providing a synopsis reflecting all main motions and resolutions that the Board addressed today.

The first four days of the meeting were summarized in these editions of the APA Information Hotline:

In accordance with R2024-33, video footage of the open portions of the Board meeting will be available here.

APA Headquarters Closing Early Today

Because so many APA employees worked long hours during this week’s Board of Directors meeting, APA leadership opted to close headquarters at 1400 Central today, with Contract Administration staying open until 1600 Central. Contract Administration will be open from 0700 to 1900 Central on Saturday and Sunday.

Runoff Round of National Officers Election

Runoff Round voting for APA Secretary-Treasurer will close at 0001 Central on May 29, and ballots will be tallied that day. Resumes for the candidates may be found here: Candidate Information.

Each eligible pilot should have received a notice in the mail containing a unique Voting PIN and voting instructions for the National Officers Election. It is important that you retain this letter, as you will need the same Voting PIN for all rounds of an election.

You should have also received your Voting PIN and voting instructions via an email from APA’s elections vendor, Sequent. To ensure you receive your voting credentials, please verify your contact information via the Member Update page on AlliedPilots.org.

The ballots for the National Officers Election are found at this website: https://apa-national.sequent.vote

If you did not receive or misplaced your Voting PIN, did not receive a mail ballot, and/or are experiencing difficulties casting your ballot, please call the Voting Support Call Center at 888-454-3230.

To verify your identity, the call center will ask you for your unique APA Unique Identifier Code. Your APA Identifier Code can be found at the bottom of the Member Update page on AlliedPilots.org.

Any voter who is unable to vote electronically, or would prefer to vote by mail, can request a mail ballot by visiting this website: https://electiontrust.com/apaoff. Alternatively, you may request a mail ballot by calling 888-454-3230. If you request a mail ballot in one round of the election, you will receive a mail ballot for all subsequent election rounds. Requesting a mail ballot does not preclude you from voting electronically. However, if you submit both an electronic and a mail ballot, only the electronic ballot will be counted.

The Voting Support Call Center is staffed by APA’s election vendor from 0900 to 1700 Central on every day of the voting period for each round of the election. On the last full day of each round, the call center will remain open until 2200 Central. You may direct any additional questions to APA’s Election Coordinator, Kathy Lazenby, at 817-302-2175, or at elections@alliedpilots.org, between 0800 and 1600 Central on weekdays.

Live From New York ... It’s Concourse Conversations

The National Communications Network and the LGA Domicile Officers will host two Concourse Conversations sessions this month.

  • JFK on May 20: 1600-2000 at the base of the elevators near Dunkin’
  • LGA on May 21: 0430-1030 at the bottom of the escalators near the “Big Apple”

Concourse Conversations were created to facilitate two-way communication between line pilots and APA leadership. If your schedule allows, please make time to stop by for a chat.

The National Communications Network is seeking additional volunteers. With more on that, here’s Communications Committee Deputy Chair FO Shay Marchetti:

Introducing the Aeromedical Quick Reference Card

This is a new message from the APA Aeromedical Committee.

Between the Aeromedical Committee, our various subcommittees, and the Medical Advisors (our in-house team of registered nurses), APA offers resources for a broad range of issues, from smoke/odor/fume events and laser strikes to personal crises and new medications. To make it easier to figure out where to turn when dealing with these situations, we have created an Aeromedical Quick Reference Card that you may want to download to your AA iPad.

Choose Your TDY Preference by May 13

This is a new message from the APA Hotel Committee.

An increased number of pilots were assigned TDYs for the contractual month of June. All pilots who were awarded or assigned a TDY for June should have received a CCI message on Wednesday. This CCI message included a link to the “Pilot Hotel Preference and Waiver” page, where pilots can choose their hotel option. Pilots can select an “Airport/Short” or “Downtown/Long” hotel, or they can choose the “TDY Hotel Waiver,” which pays the pilot $2,000 in lieu of a company-provided hotel room. This selection needs to be completed by 1200 Central on May 13.

For more information, check out the 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.

Congratulations to Newly Upgraded Captains

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

We would like to recognize and congratulate these pilots who upgraded to captain last month. They are listed by their post-upgrade base and equipment.

CLT 777: Baron Perchard

CLT 737: Justin Patrick

CLT 320: David Miller

DCA 737: Craig Christensen and Mike Lepkowski

DCA 320: Jen Uptmor

DFW 320: Danny Cannon and Matt Stanley

LAX 320: Jim Carr, Charlie Copeland, Susan Read, and Hannes Roose

LGA 787: Ron Chambers, Mike Coburn, Malou Manser, and Russ Osiol

LGA 320: Shane Barber, John Bruno, Jon Cain, Will Cheeseman, Johnny Cummings, Christopher Cunningham, Gustavo De la Cruz Davison, James Douvier, Max Golding, Lee Liu, Rob Midgley, Mark Neiger, Tony Penaranda, Matthew Pray, Austin Shartle, and Matthew Smith

MIA 737: JJ Gonzalez, Tim Killham, and Mike Mayo

MIA 320: Walt Baez, Asmund Berge, Grady Chism Jr., Jeffrey Kollin, and Phil Tully

ORD 320: Weston Hoeper, Scott Pochowicz, Peter Theisen, and John Wicker

PHL 320: Jeff Bordenave, Michael Cahoon, Jordan Glasner, Matt Gross, Carlos Lopes, Samuel McCrory, Chris Sendra, and Matt Smith

PHX 737: Ryan Behringer

PHX 320: Tom Dodson

Gone West

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

We extend our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of these pilots, whose deaths we learned of in April: Stan Huff, 85, on June 24; Wayne Brown, 84, on Dec. 18; Ed “Hook” Long, 73, on Feb. 28; Joel Daniel, 69, on March 7; Lew Witt, 77, on March 11; Kent Hill, 81, on March 17; George Richards, 87, on March 20; Bill Mitchell, 83, on March 26; Dick Schaub, 80, on March 28; Richard “Hoot” Gibson, 73, on March 30; Greg Griffin, 67, on March 30; Dick Krueger, 95, on March 30; Fred Jackson, 78, on April 1; William “Chapy” Chapman, 92, on April 3; Bob Mangam, 89, on April 11; Bob Paty, 89, on April 12; and Ray Hull, 86, on April 15.

APA Medical Minute – Benefits of a Primary Care Physician

In this encore edition of the APA Medical Minute, APA Medical Advisors Manager Marsha Reekie addresses the benefits of having a primary care physician, including referrals to specialists as needed and the ability to identify and address family history-related risks such as diabetes and hypertension.

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

APA Contract Minute – Overrides

In this previously released edition of the APA Contract Minute, CA Jason Saxer details the changes and additions to overrides in our contract.

Domicile Events

a group of people on a beach

Click the image for a closer look.

MIA pilots and their families enjoyed a day at the beach on May 3, taking in the sights and sounds of the Air Dot Show in Fort Lauderdale.

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

  • BOS: Boston Red Sox game on July 10
  • CLT: Domicile Meeting on June 12
  • DCA: Domicile Meeting on May 22
  • DFW: Pilots for Kids Golf Tournament on May 19
  • LAX: San Diego Lunch on May 13; Thousand Oaks Lunch on May 14; Dana Point Lunch on May 15; Pasadena Lunch on May 20; Temecula Lunch on May 21; Retirement Dinner on June 7
  • LGA: New York Mets game on Aug. 31
  • MIA: Domicile Meeting on May 15
  • ORD: Domicile Meeting on May 14; Galt Fly-In and Pancake Breakfast on May 24
  • PHL: Philadelphia Phillies game on July 23

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)
    • Critical Incident Response Program Subcommittee (2)
    • Disabled Pilot Awareness Subcommittee (3)
    • Human Intervention Motivational Study Subcommittee (1)
    • Pilot Occupational Health Subcommittee (2)
  • Captain’s Authority Committee (2)
  • Communications Committee (0)
    • National Communications Network (2)
  • Grey Eagles Liaison Committee (1)
  • Retirement and Benefits Committee (1)*
  • Training Committee (0)
    • Checkmate (1 on 777)

* Seeking volunteer with financial services experience and possible AIF®, CFP®, or related designations.

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

Professional Standards FAQs

What types of issues will Professional Standards accept?
Almost any issue that would benefit from the peer-to-peer method of resolution is acceptable, such as individual conflicts, ineffective operating methods/techniques, problems of a professional or ethical nature, conduct that could lead to discipline, and recognizing exceptional performance.

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. Our next cruise, a nine-night excursion across the southern Caribbean, launches Oct. 9.

Pilot Job Fairs and Future Pilot Seminars

The Future & Active Pilot Alliance’s next Pilot Job Fairs are scheduled for May 16 at ORD followed by June 13 at CLT. The next Future Pilot Seminar is scheduled for May 17 at ORD. 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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