APA News Digest

Oct. 6, 2023

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In This Edition ...

APA Board of Directors’ Fall Meeting Slated for Nov. 6-10

The APA Board of Directors’ regularly scheduled fall meeting is scheduled for Nov. 6-10 at union headquarters in Fort Worth.

In accordance with APA policy, a 60-minute “Membership and Guest Hour” will take place on the first day of the meeting immediately following the President’s Report. Policy stipulates that “Any APA member(s) in good standing or, with the consent of the Board, a guest of a member shall be allowed to address the board. Allocation of time will be 60 minutes divided by the number of members/guests desiring to speak; however, no individual will be afforded more than 10 minutes, including any questions/ answers by the Board. Members and guests must advise the meeting Chair of their desire to address the Board.” Please email president@alliedpilots.org or asmith@alliedpilots.org if you wish to address the Board.

APA policy also stipulates that the following committee elections are to be conducted during the fall meeting:

  • APA Internal Compensation & Expenses Committee
  • Financial Audit Committee
  • Economic & Financial Analysis Committee Chair
  • Benefits Review and Appeals Board
  • Government Affairs Committee Chair
  • Communications Committee Chair
  • Family Awareness Committee Chair
  • Strike and Tactical Operations Planning (STOP) Committee Chair
  • Negotiating Committee
  • Scope Committee
  • Flight Time/Duty Time Chair
  • R&B Pilot Defined Contribution Plan Advisory Subcommittee Deputy Chair

Please email your domicile representatives if you are interested in volunteering to serve on one of these APA national committees or subcommittees.

YOUnion 101 at 1100 Central on Oct. 11

APA Vice President CA Chris Torres and the Compass Project’s Member Engagement Team will host a “YOUnion 101” meeting via Zoom. This meeting focuses on all aspects of APA membership. While it is geared toward our newer pilots, all are welcome and encouraged to attend. Click here now to register.

The APA Compass Project is an industry-leading pilot mentoring and support program. Compass offers one-on-one support from experienced line-pilot sponsors for New Hires, New Captains, Return to Work Pilots, as well as tutorial videos, and an extensive database of stage-based documents covering a helpful topics that are of importance to all pilots. Click here for more information.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

What’s the Dollar Value of News Media Coverage of APA?

In a recent membership update, APA President CA Ed Sicher highlighted the value of APA’s credibility with the news media, noting that “No other union is sought out by the news media as often as APA.”

Meltwater News, the news media monitoring service that APA uses to track coverage featuring our point of view, uses a widely accepted technique known as Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) to calculate the dollar value of news media coverage. AVE determines the dollar value by comparing the coverage to an equivalent amount of paid advertising. Year to date, the AVE of the news coverage that has appeared featuring APA’s point of view totals more than $400 million.

The following recent stories illustrate how journalists routinely rely on APA for our perspective on a range of aviation-related stories such as counterfeit engine parts, lightning strikes, and the threat of a government shutdown. Many of the stories that appear enable us to reinforce the value of having two pilots in the cockpit to serve as the last line of defense for safety.

FOX and Friends First

ABC World News  

ABC7NY  

SCRIPPS NEWS

APA Meets with Wall Street

Airline analysts at Jefferies Aerospace & Defense Electronics equity research invited CA Dennis Tajer, APA Investor Relations Committee Chair, to brief investors on Sept. 26 on a variety of topics related to AAL and the industry. On Sept. 29, Jefferies released a note to investors with their key takeaways from the meeting. The note highlights where future improvement opportunities for our pilots and the enterprise remain, with a focus on addressing current inefficiencies and scheduling inflexibilities.

Among the specific items that APA emphasized:

  • Trip length inefficiencies
  • TTS inflexibilities
  • High reserve percentages
  • Federal legislation & APA related positions

Excerpts from Jefferies’ subsequent note to investors covering key meeting takeaways:

  • “Airlines have increasingly overstaffed to address this issue, with AAL having 30-40% of pilots in reserve vs. the pre-pandemic 18% industry standard. Reserve pilots are low-yielding, flying ~55 hours per month but paid as line- holders at ~76 hours per month. There is an efficiency that can be gained by allowing line-holders more flexibility in their schedules, which, in turn, will lower average flying hrs but garner more pilots willing to fill in reserve flights. This will reduce the reserve counts and drive a more cost-effective, efficient operation.”
  • “Part of the challenge is that networks are increasingly 4- to 5-day trips, of which only 60% are completed using one pilot per seat without leaning on reserves.”
  • “With the fierce rebound in post-COVID demand and a continued focus on reliability, pilot quality of life has materially worsened. Pilots would like to have additional flexibility in scheduling, with most pilots willing to fly more if the routes being flown were selected by the pilot.”
  • “Many carriers, particularly AAL, have been reducing the ability of pilots to adjust schedules via a trip-trade system in an effort to improve predictability, which is frustrating pilots who see routes they would prefer to fly. Additional scheduling flexibility will be a material differentiator for carriers. AAL has come to an agreement with APA to continue experimenting on this issue, with both parties focused on improving efficiency and profitability of the operation.”

“Positive Rate” Episode 15: Your APA Contract Compliance Committee

In the latest episode of our “Positive Rate” podcast, you’ll meet Contract Compliance Committee Chair CA Jason Saxer and committee member FO John Herring and learn about the many ways their committee is here to serve you and ensure compliance with our contract. Communications Committee Deputy Chair FO Tami McBride’s interview with CA Saxer and FO Herring details how Contract Compliance works in concert with with APA Contract Administration and includes a few frequently asked Q&As about the contract.

Each episode of “Positive Rate” features various APA leaders and the subject-matter experts working on the membership’s behalf. The podcast is available through popular streaming services, including Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify – you can search for “Positive Rate” or “Allied Pilots Association” on your platform of choice to subscribe and download. Your first opportunity to listen will be via AlliedPilots.org/Podcasts.

We welcome your feedback on this format. If you have a question or a comment, please send it to Communications Director Gregg Overman via goverman@alliedpilots.org.

Tech Tip – FAQs for New APA Pilot App

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

What is the best way to find out how to use the new APA mobile application, APA Pilot?

The quickest way to become more familiar with the new app is to review the FAQs located in the side menu:

As always, please use the feedback link in the side menu for the quickest assistance.

For those of you who haven’t yet downloaded APA Pilot, we encourage you to do so via one of these QR Codes.

Calendar of Events on AlliedPilots.org – How It Works

This is an updated message from the APA Information Technology Steering Committee.

Since the rollout of Web 2.0, we have fielded questions from members regarding the calendar of events on AlliedPilots.org. With Web 2.0, members are now able to customize the calendar to their individual preferences. If you log in to the website and see a blank calendar, then you need to adjust your preferences. Here’s how to do that:

First, log into the website – not the app – and click the calendar icon in the upper right corner:

When the calendar appears, select the gear icon, which is labeled “Preferences” on the desktop version of the site but is unlabeled on the mobile version.

Finally, select the options you would like to have displayed. We suggest selecting more options than less. For example, if you commute from one domicile city to another, why not have both of them selected? You might also consider selecting the calendars for national committees that host frequent events, such as Contract Compliance, Family Awareness, and Strike and Tactical Operations Planning. There’s even an option to have APA Board of Directors meetings displayed on your calendar.

APA is working hard for you, and our IT Department has developed some highly versatile tools. Please take the time to maximize your benefit. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to our Help Desk via 817-302-2399 or helpdesk@alliedpilots.org.

APA President Lauds Two Benefits Department Staffers

During an all-staff gathering today, APA President CA Sicher recognized APA Benefits Manager Penny Belew for her expertise in navigating the complexities of medical billing and related issues. APA has received considerable positive feedback from union members and staffers about how Penny’s expertise has helped them save money, remedy incorrect billing, and get prescriptions filled promptly.

CA Sicher also recognized Benefits Coordinator Ashley Kurtz, whose primary focus is on helping members understand the Pilot Mutual Aid and Pilot Occupational Disability Plans. With the ratification of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement in August, there has been a spike in calls to the Benefits Department due to the major enhancements APA negotiated in the Long-Term Disability Plan and the new Extended Sick Bank. Ashley has been instrumental in helping pilots already enrolled in PMA and POD understand why they should retain their coverage, and she has also helped pilots who aren’t currently enrolled understand why they should consider doing so to complement their contractual benefits.

Penny and Ashley were both awarded with spot bonuses of $500 apiece for their excellent work.

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 months, B737 aircraft 3NC right engine thrust reverser has been written up nine times and has been on MEL and out of service four times. It remains on MEL.
  • Since Sept. 19, B737 aircraft 3CM cabin pressurization has been written up eight times, been on MEL twice, and out of service five times. It remains out of service.
  • Since Sept. 20, A319 aircraft 814 either VHF 1, VHF 2, or both have been written up 11 times and been out of service four times, and a Functional Check Flight was accomplished. This was last signed off on Oct. 2.
  • Since Sept. 21, A321 aircraft 436 autothrottle has been written up seven times, on MEL three times, and out of service four times. It was last returned to service on Oct. 4.
  • Since Sept. 25, A319 aircraft 828 has had a loud pop noise in the forward galley and flight deck during climb that was written up five times and out of service four times. This was last signed off on Oct. 4 after replacing an air inlet check valve.

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 Oct. 3: Emrah Atici, Ramsey Baum, Michael Bluestein, Andrew Brand, Eric Busskohl, Jason Campbell, Sundance Carson, Casey Clark, Lauren Cohen, Victor Costello, Ethan Curry, Michael Davies, Gautam Dhawan, Cory Duke, Harry Feigel III, Michael Ferrara, Benjamin Freer, Gabriela Garcia Garza, Romel George, Corey Hall, Brian Heemstra, Christopher Holsapple, William James, Alex Joseph, Michael Kaczynski, Sean Kelly, Craig Murdock, Shan Nawab, James Pacelli, Timothy Pollard, Nathaniel Raymond, Cyrus Reynolds Jr., Spencer Rich, Griffin Rucker, Craig Saunders, Georg Schirmer, Scott Stahl, Tanan Tangpradabkul, Miles Turner, George Vangelas, Matthew Wallace, Benjamin Yetman, and Brian Yun.

APA Welcomes Captains’ Leadership Class

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

Click the image for a closer look.

On Oct. 4, 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: Blanton Archer, Chad Baker, Trevor Barnes, Stanley Bascone, Ralph Bennett, William Cain, Clark Clayton, Jeremy Cole, Michael Cozad, Cherileigh Dawson, Gregory DeBourge, Bradley Degraaf, Benjamin Falepaini, Kevin Fowler, Scott Gaddini, Cory Gassaway, Ryan Glanzer, Mickale Gregory, David Ingram, Jason Klink, Clifford Lanyi, Michael Livatino, Douglas Mabe, Maurice MacEwen, David Maher, Robert Mondou Jr., John Mulcair, Kiersten Orrick, Scott Peterson, Donald Rodrigues, Hideo Sano, Timothy Sheetz, Aaron Shields, Justin Swanson, Dudley Vaughn, Joel Weber, and Derek Williams.

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.

BOS 737: Robert Mondou

CLT 737: Jeffrey Clauser and Matthew Dixon

CLT 320: Blanton Archer, Stanley Bascone, Graham Bitner, William Cain, Nathan Galieti, Andrew Gilbert, Kevin Herlihy, Cody Hinton, Tommie Johnson, Fredrik Karlsson, Jason Klink, David Knowles, Michael Livatino, Charles Martin, Gregory Meyung, Colin Newbold, and Kyle Patterson

DCA 737: Clyde Stover

DFW 777: Dave Sanders

DFW 787: Daniel Moss

DFW 737: Bruce Anzalone II, Adam Cleveland, Thomas Culbreath, Bradley DeGraaf, Giovanni Escobar, Kirk Fugate, Matthew Grieco, James Kareis II, Charles Kilchrist, Derek Mattila, David Michael, Frederick Moore, Daniel Oldham, Todd Platt, James Richardson, David Roberts, Justin Swanson, Kim Torres, Luis Urbina, Sean Vaughan, and Nathan Wantland

DFW 320: Ana Anderson, Matthew Baroni, Clinton Bryant, Earl Carter Il, Milton Gandhi, Ryan Glanzer, Edward Hall Jr, James Hanford, Todd Insalaco, James Kochenower, Brandon Mahoney, Andrew O’Hara, David Orwig, William Pinter, Rodrigo Ribeiro, Marvin Jay Santos, Charles Scharmann, Stacy Smith, Steven Spencer, Sam Strausser, Joel Weber, and Jason Wroten

LAX 787: David Morris and Donald Rodrigues

LAX 737: Hideo Sano and Ryan Stewart

LAX 320: Jim Salvia

LGA 777: Anselm Wishing

LGA 737: Ronald Armstrong, Marcris Buchanan, Michael Donnelly, Bryan Hamilton, Kevin Harmon, Peter Kim, Albert Lee, Ian Loegering, Shaun McQuain, Ruman Memon, Jerome Morgand, John Mulcair, Devon Phillips, Balraj Singh, and Michael Vella

LGA 320: Gregory Wetzel

MIA 777: Jon Cameron, Michael Lee, Clifford Lovin, William Terrell, and Karen Woods

MIA 737: Kelvin Carvajal, Casey Coleman, Michael Cozad, Luis Cummings, Cherileigh Dawson, Scott Diller, Sean George, Katerina Golcova, James Goritsan, Joshua Hicks, Lazar Kamcev, Joffre Marquez, Jacques Melbeuf, Shean Oliverio, Emmanuel Orona Cruz, and Miguel Santibanez

MIA 320: Erik Bielik, Luis Busquets, Raphael Llandro Caballero, Melissa Day, Maury Downs, Benjamin Falepaini, Danny Flaherty II, Christopher Karling, Derek Karr, Mickale Manley, Raymond Mason, Jeffrey Maxson, Luis Maysonet Hernandez, Anoop Rewari, Bryan Salyer, Joshua Showalter, Richard Smith II, Adam Steel, and Gregory Thurman

ORD 737: Scott Gaddini and David Ingram

PHL 320: Darshan Dohle and Seth Talbot

PHX 320: James Aden, Trevor Barnes, Joseph Coraggio, David Maher, Sam Salah, and Marc Whitehorn

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 last month: Ran Ferris, 70, on April 22; Bill Purcell, 73, on July 21; Art Schlichting, 94, on Aug. 14; Joe Hunt, 87, on Aug. 15; Rich Bandlow, 72, on Aug. 22; Lyle Davis, 88, on Aug. 23; Robert Seccombe, 74, on Aug. 24; Stephen Moorhead, 67, on Aug. 26; Howard Taylor, 65, on Aug. 26; Len Willey, 89, on Aug. 27; Alan Collins, 65, on Sept. 7; and Dave Ferguson, 75, on Sept. 10.

Domicile Events

Get more details about these upcoming events at AlliedPilots.org/Calendar:

  • CLT: Domicile Meeting on Oct. 13; Runway 5K on Oct. 21
  • DFW: Telephone Town Hall Meeting on Oct. 17; Contract Compliance training on Oct. 25; Family Awareness event at Chicken N Pickle on Oct. 25; Retirement Party on Nov. 11
  • LAX: Fleet Week lunch aboard the San Francisco Belle Sun on Oct. 8; San Diego Yacht Club party on Nov. 2; Dave & Buster’s event at LAS on Dec. 5
  • LGA: Retirement Party on Oct. 28
  • ORD: Telephone Town Hall Meeting on Oct. 17
  • PHL: Domicile Meeting on Oct. 10
  • PHX: IMAX training via Zoom on Oct. 24

Domicile Elections

CLT pilots will elect an interim domicile chair who will serve through Oct. 31, 2024. Submissions for nomination will accepted on the APA Elections webpage from 0001 Central on Oct. 9 until 0001 Central on Oct. 30.

If you have any questions, contact the APA Elections Department via 817-302-2175 or elections@alliedpilots.org.

Week in Review

The following messages were sent since last week’s News Digest was published.

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 (2)
    • Pilot Occupational Health Subcommittee (2)
    • Project Wingman Subcommittee (3)
  • Captain’s Authority Committee (2)
  • Communications Committee (0)
    • National Communications Network (7)
  • Compass Project (4)
  • Grey Eagles Liaison Committee (1)
  • Jumpseat/Non-Rev Committee (1)
  • Retirement & Benefits Committee (2)
  • Safety (0)
    • Environmental Sustainability in Aviation (2)
  • Scheduling Committee (6)
  • Training Committee (3)
    • Checkmate (1 on 777 and 1 on 320)

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

Professional Standards FAQs

When I make a call, am I “turning someone in” to Professional Standards?
No! When you call Professional Standards, you are utilizing fellow pilots, who are trained in handling peer-to-peer conflict, to resolve an issue that you are not comfortable resolving yourself. One of the first questions a volunteer will ask you is: “Have you tried to resolve this issue yourself?” While resolving the issue between the two parties is truly resolution at the lowest possible level, many people are not comfortable with this scenario and utilize Professional Standards.

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. 14 at DFW followed by Nov. 18 at FLL. Click here for more information.