APA News Digest

Feb. 23, 2024

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In This Edition ...

APA President and NTSB Chair Discuss Investigation Procedures

APA President CA Ed Sicher and National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy met this week in Washington, D.C., to discuss accident investigation procedures. Among the topics at hand: the chilling effect that identity disclosure has on the ability to collect critical safety information, with both parties agreeing to support protections against any unnecessary disclosure of documents that do not in any way advance aviation safety.

Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations: APA’s Force Multiplier on Capitol Hill

The Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA) plays a vital role for our membership in Washington, D.C. As the world’s largest professional pilot trade association, CAPA focuses primarily on advancing safety initiatives for its member unions.

“CAPA is critical to its members. It puts them on an equal labor footing when participating at the highest levels of government,” CAPA President CA Larry Rooney said. “Along with the APA Government Affairs Committee, CAPA is there to advance our pilots’ safety, security, legislative, and regulatory priorities.”

Click here to learn more about CAPA.

Don’t Forget Your Post-it Notes, MAX Pilots

Because the consequences are too grave to simply rely on memory, APA spokesman CA Dennis Tajer puts Post-it Notes on the Boeing 737 MAX instrument panel as a reminder to turn off its anti-ice system.

“This is what happens when you try to exempt your way to selling an Apollo-era airplane in a SpaceX world,” he told Christine Negroni for a recent New York Post article on the MAX’s problems. “You get inconsistent procedures and an airplane riddled with … points of failure.”

Read more in “How airlines, passengers and Boeing are dealing with the 737 MAX crisis.”

A few days after that article was published, Boeing announced that it was replacing the head of its 737 MAX program. CNBC has more details.

Experts to Answer Questions About eAML

This is a new message from the APA Safety Committee.

The electronic Aircraft Maintenance Logbook (eAML) was introduced to the 737 fleet in October, and the A320 fleet’s conversion to the eAML began last month. Your APA Safety Committee will host a panel discussion about the eAML via Zoom at 1200 Central on March 1. This event will include experts from APA, Tech Ops, MOC, and the Flight Department. Viewers will be able to ask questions live or submit them in advance by emailing dedwards@alliedpilots.org.

Click here to register for the March 1 panel discussion.

A recording will be posted at AlliedPilots.org/Videos as soon as possible.

Review Percentages Before Profit-Sharing Payout

This is a new message from the APA Retirement and Benefits Committee.

The APA Retirement and Benefits Committee recommends reviewing your special election contribution percentages before 1500 Central on Monday, Feb. 26. The special contribution percentages in place at that time will be applied to your profit-sharing payout.

You can review and update your special election contribution percentages on Fidelity NetBenefits or by calling the American Airlines Service Center at Fidelity at 800-354‑3412. Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 0730 to 2300 Central (excluding all New York Stock Exchange holidays except Good Friday).

Contributions from your profit-sharing payout will post to your Fidelity 401(k) account on March 6 and will be visible to you on March 7.

Help Keep Our Hotel Webpages Updated

This is a new message from the APA Hotel Committee.

Don’t forget to check the APA Hotel Webpages before your next layover! The Hotel Committee maintains a page for each AA-contracted hotel, and our pages have more information than the HIDIR/CCI Hotel Info.

If APA does not have a webpage for your assigned hotel, that’s a good indicator that you are staying at a non-contracted hotel. APA and AA have probably not vetted this hotel. Do not expect a discount, as there is no contract in place. We see this often in our pop-up and overflow markets, IROPs, and with off-schedule flights, as our contracted hotels may not have room availability.  Please continue to send Hotel Debriefs if you have an issue in one of these non-contracted hotels. (We’ll have more information on non-contracted hotels in next week’s News Digest.)

Our Hotel Webpages feature tips from fellow pilots, including recommended restaurants and activities as well as suggestions about rooms to avoid. Don’t hesitate to add your recommendations via the “Feedback” links on each webpage, and please also use these links if you need to report outdated information on the webpages. We rely on our pilots to help us keep the webpages relevant, useful, and up to date. Changes to pick-up locations are often sent to us from a pilot ahead of company notification, and we can update the webpages quickly. Thank you to those of you who contribute!

For more information on our Hotel Webpages, see the QRH – Quick Reference Hotels document, which should answer 99 percent of all hotel and transportation questions while providing helpful solutions. Suggestion: Download this QRH document to your AA iPad for easy access in the future.

Next Contract Training Set for March 6-7

This is a repeated message from the APA Contract Compliance Committee.

The Contract Compliance Committee wants to do everything we can to ensure that all APA members are well acquainted with the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Join us on March 7 in PHL for a full day of training on the new CBA. This training will be conducted in hybrid fashion, with members welcome to participate in person or virtually via Zoom. It will be preceded by a four-hour IMAX session on March 6 with no Zoom component.

Please take a few moments before the training to familiarize yourself with the Electronic Document Index. You must be logged in to AlliedPilots.org for the links to be accessible. This Index connects you to a vast array of APA documents that we will reference. It is equally useful in the daily operation as a line pilot, so we recommend you retain the Index for future reference. During the training, it may be helpful to have two screens; one to run Zoom and one to reference these documents.

Help us help you! The Contract Compliance Committee’s goal is for you – the membership – to be informed, educated, and knowledgeable. Every single pilot should strive to be a contract expert or, at the very least, strive for continued learning and engagement. Knowledge is power, and it will assist you in employing and being a watchdog of your negotiated work rules.

Make Plans to Join Us at Sun ’n Fun

This is a repeated message from the APA Family Awareness Committee.

CA Tim Dick, FO Natalie Anagnostou, FO Tim Jackson, CA Jerry Gemma, and FO Melissa Monahan

The Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo, the biggest and best airshow in the southeastern United States, is coming up in April. We plan to serve two lunches and two dinners in our air-conditioned flightline chalet with private restrooms. Please bring your family!

Besides the food and fellowship, there will be significant information passed along. You can expect to break bread with APA’s elected officials as well as volunteers from national committees.

As you make plans to join us in Lakeland, Fla., please RSVP for each meal separately so we can be sure to order enough food.

Meanwhile, don’t forget about the Swamp Cabbage Fly-In, which will be held from 0900 to 1600 Eastern on Feb. 24 at X14, the airport in LaBelle, Fla., in conjunction with the annual LaBelle Swamp Cabbage Festival. The fly-in, which was organized by APA pilots, will feature static displays of warbird and vintage aircraft, food/beverages, and guests from Miami Air Traffic Control. This is a great event for the whole family! If you have questions, send them to swampcabbageflyin@gmail.com.

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.

  • Since Jan. 14, the left engine thrust reverser on A321 aircraft 975 has been written up nine times, has been on MEL three times, and has been out of service five times. At the time of this writing, it remained on MEL.
  • In the last month, B737 aircraft 3DG has been written up six times for cabin pressurization. At the time of this writing, it was restricted to Class 1 maintenance stations.

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 Feb. 20: Travis Barnhart, Tevin Belasco, Gerald Bragg, Aaron Briggs, Donald Burrell, Charles Canavan III, Johan Carlestav, Shelby Clay Jr., Joshua Cornic, Joseph DeBoskey, Conner Dempsey, Taylor Faircloth, Kyle German, James Guiry, Colburn Helppie-Schmieder, Marc Hepburn, Joshua Hill, Christopher Hill, Souhaib Kherif, Richard Kidd, Sean Kirker, Canaan Klaassen, Chadburn Lawrence, Brandon Morris, Sammie Perez, Regan Plath, Jared Powell, Alex Pretextat-Lecomte, Hieu Quach, Roberto Ramirez Irias, Maegan Ribera, Clark Roda, Brenda Romero Lopez, Matthew Rowden, Ryan Smith, Paul Smith II, Cory Southern, Meaghan Strickland, Colby Sutterfield, David Thomas, Adam Unruh, Serge Vandam, Thomas Watts, and Scott Wilson.

APA Welcomes Captains’ Leadership Class

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

Click the image for a closer look.

On Feb. 21, 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: Andrew Angelo III, Kathryn Bini, Michael Carroll, Christopher Carter, James Deatherage, Tarah Ernest, James Hogg, Sean Irwin, Robert Jackson, Thomas Kielty, Jeremy Mullins, George Nelson, Kyle Ozi, Travis Posey, Philip Sevenz, John Steinberg, Chad Stephens, Juan Villegas Rojas, Stephen Volpe, Jamie Weidner, Ronald White, and Joseph Wright III.

Domicile Events

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

  • DCA: Retirement Party on June 29
  • DFW: Domicile Meeting on Feb. 27; Pilots For Kids Golf Tournament on May 20; Texas Rangers game on Aug. 6
  • LAX: Family Awareness event at Camas Airport on April 23; Family Awareness event at Boeing Museum of Flight on April 24; Family Awareness event at Rowland Freedom Center on April 25; Retirement Party on April 27
  • LGA: New York Mets game on Sept. 2
  • MIA: MSY Crawfish Boil on April 6
  • ORD: Concourse Conversations on March 1; Chicago Blackhawks game on March 2; Retirement Party on May 4
  • PHL: Domicile Meeting on March 6; IMAX Training on March 6; Contract Compliance Training on March 7

Week in Review

Here is a recent message you may have missed.

Are You Willing to Serve?

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

  • Aeromedical Committee (2)
    • 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 (7)
  • Flight Time/Duty Time Committee (1)
  • Grey Eagles Liaison Committee (1)
  • Jumpseat/Non-Rev Committee (1)
  • Scheduling Committee (5)
  • 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

Is Professional Standards suitable for conduct issues or performance issues?
It may be suited for both. The program is designed to promote and maintain professionalism. It is well suited for any case, conduct, or performance when professionalism may be an issue.

To read all of the FAQs, click here.

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

Foundation Aims to Support Pilots’ Spouses

The Air to Heart Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that was created last year to provide social, educational, charitable, and recreational opportunities for the spouses and domestic partners of American Airlines pilots.

“We understand the opportunities and challenges of the travel industry, and if we have learned anything, it is that you can never have too many resources for support or opportunities to show appreciation,” the foundation’s president, Maria Perkins, said in a statement on its website.

The Air to Heart Foundation will host two Zoom meetings on Feb. 29 to explain its initiatives in more detail. Membership is not required to learn more.

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 March 15 at SAN followed by April 26 at ATL. 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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