Defending Our Scope Protections

In late 2023, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines announced their intent to merge. Alaska Airlines also announced plans to take delivery of new Boeing 787 aircraft ordered by Hawaiian Airlines to introduce long-haul international routes. Our Scope Committee and counsel kept a close eye on how those plans would unfold, and fragments of information began coming from Alaska Airlines’ headquarters in Seattle.

These included growth in the OneWorld alliance, more real estate for Alaska Airlines in Terminal 8 at JFK, and news in March that American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Japan Airlines intended to enter into a trilateral codeshare agreement for flying in the Pacific. Alaska Airlines recently announced even more new European routes, which prompted my request to meet with senior management. In those discussions, management revealed plans to ignore our contract by codesharing on Alaska Airlines’ new long-haul international routes.

The Alaska Airlines codeshare permissions granted by Section 1.G of our contract never contemplated codesharing with a domestic airline to destinations across East Asia and Europe. Moreover, the widebody aircraft Alaska Airlines plans to operate on these routes all belong to Hawaiian Airlines and are thus subject to the limits on codesharing with Hawaiian Airlines or its successor. 

So, why is this so harmful to the pilots of American Airlines? The introduction of American Airlines’ code onto Alaska Airlines’ international network will provide another way for American Airlines to farm out widebody flying to other airlines — flying that pilots on our seniority list could and should be performing.

Earlier this summer, I filed an Expedited Scope Grievance — which automatically expedites the arbitration — against this unilateral action by the Company. The Grievance is set to be heard in late October and I will update you further as we get closer to the hearing date. In addition, I filed a separate Expedited Scope Grievance challenging the Company’s wrongful placement of the American Airlines code on Hawaiian Airlines flying outside the Hawaiian islands.

Our Scope Committee, Legal Department, outside counsel, subject-matter experts, and I will continue preparing for the arbitration and defending our contract’s Scope protections. It’s the first section for a reason.

In Unity,

FO Nick Silva
APA President