APA News Digest

April 1, 2022

Editor’s note: Some links in this message will work best if you log in to AlliedPilots.org before clicking them.

In This Edition ...

National Officers Election

APA Elections Administrator Jonathan Elifson sent the following message to all members on Thursday.

The American Arbitration Association has certified the results of the Nomination Round. Click here to view the tallies for each domicile.

The following candidates have advanced to the Election Round by finishing in the top three in at least one domicile’s tally.

President
CA Rob Baker
CA Michael Burr
CA Eric Ferguson
FO Sam Pool
CA David Rintel
CA Edward Sicher
CA Dennis Tajer

Vice President
CA Carl Battis
CA Art “Artemas” Coburn
FO Julio Gomez
CA John Owens
CA David Schoppaul
FO Chris Torres
CA Andrew Weingram

Secretary-Treasurer
FO Patrick Clark
CA Art “Artemas” Coburn
CA David Schoppaul
FO Nick Silva

Per the APA Constitution and Bylaws, a candidate may accept nomination for only one national office. CA Coburn and CA Schoppaul have until the close of business on April 5 to select the office they will seek in the Election Round.

Election Round ballots will be mailed to all members on April 7, and they will be tallied on April 28. If necessary, Runoff Round ballots will be mailed to all members on May 9, and they will be tallied on May 31.

For more information, visit AlliedPilots.org/Elections.

Interested in Serving on the APA Negotiating Committee?

During last week’s Special Board of Directors Meeting, the Board approved a motion to increase the Negotiating Committee’s size by two members. APA members interested in serving on the committee may submit an application via the National Committee Volunteer Portal. Please include a resume with your application, notify your domicile representatives that you are applying, and direct any questions to them. Submission deadline for applications is Friday, April 15. The Board will conduct elections for the two additional members at the Spring Board Meeting, scheduled for May 2-6, in accordance with Section 4.05 of the APA Policy Manual.

As a reminder, Section 4.17.B of the Policy Manual stipulates that the APA President, during the Fall Board Meeting, “will, on the morning of the first day of business, announce that the Negotiating Committee will be dissolved at the conclusion of the Negotiating Committee report for the purpose of electing a new committee.” Given the committee’s historically high turnover rate, the addition of two new members will help enhance continuity – in effect, build a deeper “bench.” This same rationale drove the Board’s 2017 decision to establish the Negotiating Department, staffed by full-time APA employees. R2017-13, “Department of Contract Negotiating and Administration,” stipulated that “the Board of Directors desires to bolster the structure and process supporting contract negotiations, enforcement, and administration.”

With 14,000 pilots from a broad range of backgrounds, we are mindful of the tremendous talent that resides within our ranks and look forward to hearing from APA members interested in serving in this important capacity.

Everyone at Skyview is Getting Our Message

Greetings from Fort Worth, where everyone at Skyview has something new to view.

Posted by Allied Pilots Association on Tuesday, March 29, 2022

“Management Has a Difficult Time Attracting Pilots”

Robert Isom officially became American’s Chief Executive Officer on Thursday, and the Dallas Morning News article marking the occasion included APA’s perspective:

“I cannot imagine more that is going to be demanded of a new CEO than is going to be demanded of Robert Isom,” said Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association representing 13,000 pilots at American. “This summer is going to be more wildly crowded and under stress.”

American apologized to pilots and flight attendants last summer after stretches where crew members were frequently showing up to hotels during trips without reservations having been booked.

Tajer said the airline also has struggled often to connect pilots with planes during periods of heavy cancellations. The union has also complained that too many pilots are stuck on call and unable to pick up extra shifts even when they are available.

“It flows through the entire brand,” he said. “Management has a difficult time attracting pilots because they are an outlier in total compensation.”

Meanwhile, Gary Leff wrote about the CEO transition on his View from the Wing blog, looking back on the legacy of “Discount Doug.” That article includes sections titled “Destruction of the Customer Experience,” “Destruction of Shareholder Value,” and “Poisonous Employee Relations.” Here’s an excerpt:

American Airlines employees had 9 years of built-up anger with CEO Gerard Arpey, and Tom Horton was Arpey’s pick as replacement. So employees signed on with Parker in support of a merger during bankruptcy, somehow expecting to benefit from his leadership rather than the old guard at the airline.

That quickly didn’t work out well. Mechanics even effectively shut down the airline in summer 2019, extracting near total surrender from management. Pilots are without a new contract, and so are flight attendants.

IROPS and Travelliance: Share Your Stories

The APA Hotel Committee confirms that Travelliance continues failing our membership, with pilots being stranded without lodging and transportation, in turn driving fatigue calls and flight disruptions, which serve no one. Hours-long hold times, bookings for rooms that don’t actually exist ... the list goes on and on.

If you encounter a situation like those described above, we ask that you share your story with us. Take a picture, or better yet, shoot a short video and send it to Communications Editor Dan Koller: dkoller@alliedpilots.org. Help us illustrate the impact of this fundamental lack of competency.

Join Us at Sun ’n Fun

The APA Family Awareness Committee sent the following message to all members on Thursday.

The Yak 110 (two Yak 55s plus a jet engine) will perform at Sun ’n Fun.

Please join us at the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Fla., next weekend. Click here to purchase tickets, and be sure to use the discount code APA442.

APA will be set up in a flight-line chalet with enough seating for more than 100 people (as opposed to the village of campers seen in previous years). Click here for a map of our location.

On April 7 and 8, our chalet will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and lunch will be served between noon and 4 p.m.

On April 9, our chalet will be open from 2 to 10 p.m., and dinner will be served between 3 and 7 p.m.

We hope to see you there!

Family Navigation Team Provides Care Packages

This is a new message from the APA Compass Project.

The proud papa in this picture is CA Chuck Castor.

Over the last year, the number of phone calls fielded by the APA Compass Project’s Family Navigation Team has risen from five per month to 20 per month. This is most likely due to our changing demographics as American rapidly hires pilots. Every APA member who becomes a parent can receive a care package that includes an APA-branded blanket, a teething toy shaped like a plane, and a Starbucks gift card. (New parents definitely need caffeine.) These care packages help the Family Navigation Team provide invaluable information to new parents regarding baby bonding and maximizing their benefits under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Get more information under the Family Navigation tab at AlliedPilots.org/Compass.

The APA Compass Project is an industry-leading mentoring and support program. Compass offers one-on-one support from experienced line pilot sponsors, as well as tutorial videos and an extensive library of stage-based documents covering a number of helpful topics that are beneficial to all pilots.

Mask Mandate Discussed on “Five By Five”

This is an updated version of a message that the APA Communications Committee sent to all members on Thursday.

In Episode 26 of our “Five By Five” podcast, APA President CA Eric Ferguson and CA John Owens, Deputy Chair of the APA Communications Committee, discuss APA’s position regarding the federal mask mandate for public transportation, which is set to expire on April 18. They also address the need for comprehensive revisions to the contractual provisions governing American Airlines’ Check Pilots, whose services are vital to ensuring a smooth, safe operation.

“Five By Five” is designed to help ensure that you stay up to date about the issues affecting your career. Each episode features various APA leaders and the subject-matter experts working on the membership’s behalf. It is available for listening via AlliedPilots.org/Podcasts and also through popular streaming services. Because the streaming services review all podcasts before making them available, your first opportunity to listen to each episode of “Five By Five” will be on AlliedPilots.org/Podcasts.

If you have a question or a comment, please send it to Communications Director Gregg Overman via goverman@alliedpilots.org.

APA’s position on masks was also included in a story aired this week by WPLG-TV (Local 10) in Miami:

“This is not a time for politics; this is a time for science, and the science so far is showing, as we look across our communities, no matter what state you’re in, or city, we see that the masks are not required,” APA Communications Committee Chair CA Dennis Tajer said. “We’ve seen the CEOs from the airlines talk about changing this. We’re not in opposition to that, and we want to get back to the business of a more normal travel experience. But no matter what the conditions, it must be safe, and we feel it’s safe right now.”

Personal Electronic Devices in the Flightdeck

This is a new message from the APA Safety Committee.

The Flight ASAP team has reviewed several recent events that have prompted us to re-emphasize the requirement to adhere to sterile flightdeck procedures. Specifically, crew members have been using personal electronic devices (PEDs) for personal uses, contrary to FOM guidance and FAR 121.542. 

The definition of “personal electronic device” is based on use, not who owns it. Therefore, your company-provided iPad EFB, if being used for personal reasons not related to the operation of the aircraft, is considered a PED. Unapproved uses have been observed by both our crew members and the FAA. 

Crews are reminded of the following:

  • No activities can be performed below 10,000 ft AFL unless they involve the safe operation of the aircraft or could distract other crew members from performing their duties (FOM, 1g.5.4).

  • The in-flight use of the iPad EFB for personal reasons (viewing photographs, movies, electronic magazines, etc.) is prohibited (FOM, 25.1.1). This includes using the EFB to take pictures in-flight.

  • Do not use PEDs while performing job-related duties on or around the aircraft unless directly related to those duties (FOM, 3g.6.5).

It is undeniable that PEDs are part of almost everyone’s day-to-day routine. Our world is more “connected” than ever. However, we are also aware there are unforeseen negative consequences associated with PEDs. Haven’t we all experienced the frustration of distracted drivers paying more attention to their phones than driving?

Bottom line: Any use of PEDs not related to the safe operation of the aircraft is prohibited, either with an iPad EFB or your personal cell phone/tablet/laptop computer. Please turn off all PEDs prior to the Before Start Checklist, but no later than 10 minutes prior to scheduled departure. Thank you for your continued professionalism.

Looking out for you,

APA Safety

Mutual Base Exchange Reminder

The APA Scheduling Committee sent the following message to all members on Wednesday.

Mutual Base Exchange (MBE) will be closing on April 3 at 2359 CT for trades effective for the contractual month of June. A pilot can enter an MBE bid on AlliedPilots.org under the Quick Links menu. MBE is a seniority-driven process that is run by APA from a contractual process derived from Section 17.T of the JCBA.

One of the fundamental constraints of the MBE process is the consideration of the most junior pilot already in the bid status. You must be senior to the most junior pilot in your desired bid status to be awarded a trade. Seniority number information is displayed on the MBE bidding page on AlliedPilots.org. It is important to keep in mind that the information displayed on the MBE page is current as of the most recent monthly update provided by the company to APA. The moral of the story is, if you want to submit an MBE bid, then you should do so, regardless of the junior number depicted in a given bid status on the MBE page indicates. MBE will always be processed with the current and accurate data provided to APA by the company just prior to award processing.

Newly hired pilots will experience a delay from their date of hire until they are eligible to participate in MBE. This is due to the monthly data update described in the previous paragraph. If you are eligible to bid for MBE, the ballot page will be available to you. If you go to the MBE page and are unable to submit a bid, it is because your data has not yet been received from the company.

For all bidders, MBE will close on April 3 for the June contractual month. Delays are possible due to the pending preliminary vacancy award publishing around the same time as the MBE award. For this month, we do expect a slight delay in MBE processing as the September 2022 vacancy results will need to be known before the MBE process can run.

For questions about MBE, email MBE@alliedpilots.org or call the Scheduling Committee/Department at 817-302-2321.

Professionalism, Leadership and Mentoring (PLM) Class

The APA Scheduling Committee sent the following message to all members today.

On March 29, the company sent a CCI message to all captains and wide-body first officers concerning the bidding process for the one-day Professionalism, Leadership and Mentoring (PLM) training for the contractual month of May. The training facilities for this new, FAA-mandated training are at the domiciles, with the bidding process located on the Training Bid Portal page of AAPilots.com.

Pilots required to attend this class are covered by Section 6 (Training), and other related sections, of our JCBA. APA has been informed that the training will be a full day and is being placed on schedules for 0900-1630. The company’s March 29 CCI message includes several clear violations of JCBA Sections 6.F (Transportation, Expenses and Lodging for Pilots in Training) and 7.A.5 specifically related to PLM scheduled at facilities other than your own base, including this statement from the CCI message: 

“If a bid for an out-of-base location is awarded, there will be no allowance for hotel or travel. The only exception is in the event you would qualify for a hotel room if attending training at your assigned base; however, positive-space travel will still not be provided.”

Hotel: In actuality, JCBA Section 7.A.5 requires that a pilot who resides more than 50 miles from the training facility is entitled to a hotel room, even if the pilot is based at the same location as the training facility. If you reside more than 50 miles from the PLM training facility (whether it’s in-base or not) and need a hotel room, contact your Chief Pilot’s office to secure your contractually obligated hotel room. Pilots who cannot be legally scheduled to travel on the same day the training occurs are entitled to a hotel for the additional day.

Positive Space Deadhead: The JCBA also requires that a pilot scheduled for training must be provided priority travel per Section 6.F of the JCBA. A1 travel will be provided to training, and A3 travel will be provided from training. The same booking process used for deadheading to and from CQT should be followed. If your PLM training is immediately adjacent to a trip or reserve day, you are entitled to combine your A1/A3 travel with your duty (e.g. use an A1 at the beginning to go to PLM and use an A3 at the conclusion of your work block, or vice versa). 

FAR 117 Conflicts: In addition, the company has finally recognized that PBS assumes a pilot is in base at the beginning or end of any PBS-awarded duty and that PBS will also assume you are in base for your PLM training. A problem arises when PBS is used to pre-plot an activity such as PLM in a location other than the pilot’s base. The below statement from the company’s March 29 CCI message recognizes this issue, but doesn’t clearly define how the company intends to handle such situations: 

“Since the PLM out-of-base bidding process is not integrated into PBS, we may see some conflicts with flights scheduled directly before or immediately following the training. Those adjustments will have to be made manually as we do not have a means to coordinate the two systems.”

It is likely that PBS will award activities (trips or reserve days) adjacent to a PLM day. With out-of-base PLM bidding, PBS may very well award schedules that complete PLM one day and sign-in for a trip in another domicile, hundreds of miles away, early the next morning. If you are awarded out-of-base PLM, and fall victim to the AA Training Department’s inability to understand and account for regulatory duty restrictions and the geographical constraints associated with the fact that PBS only awards trips and reserve in your domicile, then please contact your Chief Pilot to request how you would like to have this spatiotemporal problem corrected with pay. 

APA appreciates the opportunity the company is giving pilots to attend PLM at a base nearer to where they live and not only where the pilot is based. APA has provided options and solutions for contractually compliant training. The JCBA training provisions for hotel and transportation and the regulatory duty requirements remain in place for any training location.

April Contract Training Schedule – Sign Up Now

The APA Contract Compliance Committee sent the following message to all members on Wednesday.

How many times have you heard someone say “Know Your Contract?” Well, we’re here to make it easy for you to do so.

One of our committee’s primary goals is to provide contract education for the APA membership. One way we accomplish that is through four- and eight-hour courses that we broadcast via Zoom. The four-hour course provides a general overview of how our JCBA works, while the eight-hour course addresses in much greater deal areas such as reserve flying, filling of open time, and recovery obligation. The four-hour course is not a prerequisite for the eight-hour course. Pilots who attend the eight-hour course are then eligible to volunteer for their domicile’s Contract Compliance Committee.

The April schedule:

  • Wednesday, April 13: Eight-hour course beginning at 9 a.m. Central
  • Wednesday, April 20: Four-hour course beginning at 1 p.m. Central

Click here to register for a class.

Remember, an educated pilot group is a unified pilot group. We look forward to helping you build on your knowledge of our contract.

KCM to Require Barcode Cards

The APA Security Committee sent the following message to all members on Wednesday.

As a reminder, the TSA will require the use of a barcode card at KCM checkpoints starting tomorrow, March 31. Manual data entry by TSOs will no longer be permitted.

Crewmembers who do not have a KCM barcode card, have a worn/unreadable barcode card, or have not completed the barcode card registration process will be directed to checkpoints for regular passengers.

If you need a new KCM barcode card, please contact your base flight administration office.

Complete the barcode card registration process at MyKCMsupport.com.

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 barbecue dinner on March 29: Jeremi Avakian, Michael Bastianelli, Ryan Bauer, Matthew Bergstrom, Alan Blevins, Christopher Bogliole, Natalie Butler, Steven Crouse, Mark Crowell, Garrett Davis, Adam Diggle, John Elder, Jason Gatz, Jordan Golding, Andrew Hardman, Christopher Henshall, Jason Isreal, Mark Jespersen, Eric Johnson, Michael Jones II, Matthew Kiss, Oktawian Kosiorek, Charles LaCour, Scott Lebovitz, William Lowery, Joshua Martz, Wyatt Morrise, Nicholas Mullinix, Shawn Noyes, Daniel Parker, Jorge Patron Preciado, James Rae, Hannes Roose, Stanley Ruda III, Jacobie Sanders, James Saver, Tyler Schmidt, Janelle Setta, Kenneth Sierra, Riley Steed, Amber Stevenson, Michael Stock, Glenn Tupper, and Ian Whitcomb.

“The Women Who Teach Us”

This is an updated message from the APA Inclusion and Diversity Subcommittee.

The APA Inclusion and Diversity Subcommittee observed Women’s History Month via a series of interviews conducted by CA Dennis James:

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.

  • Since March 15, the ELAC 2 pitch fault on A319 aircraft 763 has been written up nine times and has been out of service four times. At the time of this writing, the aircraft remained out of service.

Are You Willing to Serve?

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

  • Aeromedical Committee (0)
    • Human Intervention Motivation Study Subcommittee (3)
    • Pilot Occupational Health Subcommittee (2)
    • Project Wingman Subcommittee (4)
  • Captain’s Authority Committee (8)
  • Grey Eagles Liaison Committee (1)
  • IT Steering Committee (1)
  • Jumpseat/Non-Rev Committee (1)
  • Negotiating Committee (2)
  • Professional Standards Committee (1)
  • Retirement and Benefits Committee (9)
  • Safety Committee (5)
  • Scheduling Committee (9)
  • Training Committee (1)
    • Checkmate Subcommittee (1 for a 777 pilot)
  • TUL/Tech Liaison Committee (1)

If you would like to serve on one or more of these committees, visit the National Committee Volunteer Portal.

APA Congratulates Nolen on FAA Appointment

APA issued the following press release on Wednesday.

The Allied Pilots Association (APA), representing the 14,000 pilots of American Airlines, congratulates Capt. Billy Nolen – a former American Airlines pilot – on his appointment as acting FAA Administrator.

“By federal law, the pilot in command of an aircraft ‘is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft,’” said APA President Capt. Eric Ferguson. “It is our view that someone who understands and has borne the weight of that responsibility for a significant period of time is best suited to lead the FAA.”

Capt. Nolen was hired by American Airlines in 1989. By the time he retired from the company in 2015, he had managed its Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) and become its Managing Director for Corporate Safety and Regulatory Affairs. Before joining the FAA in January as its Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, Capt. Nolen also held safety-related positions with Airlines for America, Qantas, and WestJet Airlines.

“While the next FAA Administrator would ideally be a pilot with experience as a labor leader, we are nevertheless encouraged by the fact that so much of Capt. Nolen’s career has been focused on safety, including overseeing the ASAP program, which is a collaborative effort between management, labor, and the FAA,” Capt. Ferguson said. “We look forward to more collaboration as he assumes his new role.”

DCA Domicile Election

APA Secretary-Treasurer FO Patrick Clark sent the following message to all DCA members on Thursday.

The following results of the DCA Election Round have been certified by the American Arbitration Association:

DCA Vice Chair
CA Timothy Doreen Jr.
FO Ryan Dorris
FO Aaron Webb
115
62
38

Congratulations to CA Doreen, whose new term as DCA Vice Chair will begin on May 1. He will continue to serve alongside DCA Chair CA Joe Collins, who was unchallenged in this election.

Thank you to FO Dorris and FO Webb for your willingness to serve.

Concourse Conversations at DCA and PHL

APA’s National Communications Network will host Concourse Conversations at DCA on April 7 and PHL on April 14. These events provide an opportunity for members at large to hear directly from union leaders and vice versa. They also provide you with a free bite to eat before or after a flight.

Domicile Events

CLT pilots and their guests gathered at the JW Marriott Hotel on Sunday for a “Spring Fling.” See more photos on the domicile’s webpage.

More details about these upcoming events are available at AlliedPilots.org/Calendar:

  • BOS: Joint teleconference with LGA on April 13
  • DCA: Family Awareness event at Washington Capitals game on April 6; joint teleconference with MIA on April 13
  • DFW: Domicile meeting on April 20; Family Awareness event at the NASCAR All-Star Race on May 22
  • LAX: Family Awareness event at Yanks Air Museum on April 9
  • LGA: Joint teleconference with BOS on April 13
  • MIA: Joint teleconference with DCA on April 13
  • ORD: Galt Pancake Breakfast Fly-In on May 28
  • PHL: Teleconference on April 12

That calendar also has details on these upcoming Grey Eagles luncheons:

  • EWR: April 20
  • LAS: April 5
  • LGA: April 7
  • PBI: April 13
  • RNO: April 12

Professional Standards FAQs

Can a resolved submission to Professional Standards be referenced in a future action?
No. A resolved issue cannot be used to support other disciplinary actions. An agreement exists with management that Professional Standards referrals are never part of an employee’s permanent record. Professional Standards volunteers will never be asked to relate any case information in the employee discipline process. Confidentiality rules apply to management also. Once an issue is released to the Professional Standards program, it is as if management “forgets” the issue ever occurred.

To read all of the FAQs, click here.

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

FAPA’s Pilot Job Fairs

Part 135 carriers and companies representing the private and business side of aviation make up a significant part of the exhibitors at the monthly Pilot Job Fairs hosted by Future & Active Pilot Advisors (FAPA), and many of these firms are enthusiastically hiring pilots older than 65. The next Pilot Job Fairs are scheduled for April 23 in Seattle followed by May 21 in Philadelphia. Click here for more information.