APA News Digest

March 28, 2024

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

In This Edition ...

Completing the Communications Loop

This is a new message from the APA Communications Committee.

APA’s strategic communications plan is designed to complete the communications loop with you, the pilots we represent. You need transparency, you need relevant information in a timely manner, and you need to know you can voice your concerns to your elected representatives and be heard.

Beginning on March 18, every domicile had volunteers and base representatives in the terminals listening to pilots and gathering feedback. This was not a one-off. Your input is vital in our ability to make meaningful progress outside the framework of Section 6 bargaining, and with that in mind, we have plotted out when volunteers will be working Concourse Conversations in each domicile each month through the end of the year. The most effective form of communication is face-to-face, and your engagement is key.

A common concern we heard from you time and again is TTS. You told us you are frustrated that the system is locked down and trades don’t happen easily or at all, you suggested more batch runs, and you reminded us that trips are locked down and therefore not tradable. You also reminded us the trip pairings are built to the legal limits, the days are long, and you want transparency with the Red/Green lights. You made suggestions about how to improve the user interface. We have taken everything you shared with us and passed it along to your Scheduling Committee. When the committee meets with management, having tangible data is key as we work on improvements to the system.

Another recurring theme from you: how we can further improve the APA Pilot app. Several of you suggested adding a link to union updates and adding a calendar sync function. APA IT is already working on both updates.

Others had questions about a possible change in the retirement age to 67, shared concerns regarding maintenance and Right Start Flights, cited issues with medical reimbursements, voiced frustrations with hotel wait times, and had questions about jumpseat procedures. In each instance, we have forwarded your questions and feedback to the relevant subject-matter experts within APA.

As we go forward, please continue to send Sound Offs, provide feedback when you see National Communications Network volunteers in the terminals, and engage with your domicile representatives. Your feedback is what matters the most as we focus on continuous improvements in how we serve you and in the collective bargaining agreement that binds us all. It is your voice, our future.

APA Contract Minute: Enhanced Sick Bank and LTD

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

APA Contract Compliance Committee Chair CA Jason Saxer is back with another edition of the Contract Minute. This time around, CA Saxer touches on the Enhanced Sick Bank provisions in our new contract, along with the changes to LTD.

TDY Hotel Selection Process

This is a new message from the APA Hotel Committee.

TDY bidding will open late next week. We regularly get questions after the TDY bidding process is complete from pilots who missed their opportunity to select a long/short hotel or decline a hotel altogether. If you are considering bidding for a TDY or you are a junior pilot in your bid status who is vulnerable to a TDY assignment, please keep reading for a review of how the process works.

All pilots who are awarded or assigned a TDY will receive a CCI message on the 7th of the month to notify them of the TDY for the following month. This CCI message will include a link to the ‘Pilot Hotel Preference and Waiver Page’ where pilots can preference their hotel option. Pilots can select ‘Airport/Short’, ‘Downtown/Long,’ or choose the ‘TDY Hotel Waiver,’ which pays the TDY pilot $2,000 in lieu of a company provided hotel room. This selection needs to be completed by 1200 Central on the 13th of the month prior to the TDY.

AA is not able to wait until post PBS awards are published to make hotel assignments because allocations need to be accomplished prior to that point. If a pilot is awarded a TDY in a co-terminal location (i.e., JFK, LGA, EWR) the Fight Admin team will attempt to reach out to the pilot after the 18th to determine the most suitable option.

APA’s PBS 3XP is a great tool to determine what kind of line or reserve schedule your seniority can hold in a particular bid status and can help you determine which hotel option is the best choice for you.

If you bid for a TDY or are junior in a bid status with TDYs being offered, watch for a TDY assignment notification message in CCI on the 7th so you can properly preference for a hotel.

For more information, check out the recently updated 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.

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 month, A321 aircraft 170 right engine bleed air has been written up eight times and out of service seven times. It was last returned to service on March 26 and is currently restricted to AA maintenance stations only.
  • Update: B737 aircraft 3AM was returned to service in mid-October from storage. Since then, it has been written up 40 times, and has been out of service 21 times for the cabin temperature being uncontrollable. It recently operated under Special Flight Permit to a maintenance base for repairs. It remains out of service and is restricted to Class 1 maintenance stations only.

APA Welcomes Captains’ Leadership Class

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

Click the image for a closer look.

On March 27, 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: Nathan Alcantara, Daniel Ball, Aaron Bandy, Christina Carroll, Collin Clark, Cornell Eyde, Nicolo Fatai, Juan Guardado Reyes, Wendell Gutierrez, Matthew Honek, Landon LaBruto, Caleb McCullough, Adam Milnes, Mark Nolin, John Novak, Edwin Otero, Stephen Peckyno, Shanita Polk, James Saver, Jeremy Swicegood, Juan Vallejo, Dustin Wilmoth, and Vladimir Yesayan.

APA Holiday Schedule

APA headquarters, including Contract Administration, will close at 1700 Central today and will be closed tomorrow in observance of Good Friday. Contract Administration will be open from 0700 to 1900 Central on Saturday and Sunday.

As always, your APA support team remains available 24/7. When Contract Administration is closed, calls will be forwarded to a phone service operated by Contract Compliance Committee and Flight Time/Duty Time Committee volunteers. Please note that call-back times may be longer than normal due to limited staffing. If your call is not urgent, we encourage you to wait until normal business hours resume.

You may also want to consult the pilot volunteers on your domicile’s Contract Compliance Committee. Almost every domicile has one, and some of them have larger rosters than the national committee. Contact your local committee by visiting your domicile’s page on AlliedPilots.org and clicking the “Domicile Committee List” link.

To reach a contract administrator, call APA HQ at 1-800-323-1470 and press Option 3. If you prefer to e-mail your question to the contract administrators, click here. For specific FAR 117/fatigue issues requiring immediate attention, you can also call the Emergency Help Line at 682-738-6670 manned 24/7 by Flight Time/Duty Time Committee volunteers.

Do You Back the PAC?

This is an updated message from the APA Government Affairs Committee.

Your Government Affairs Committee maintains a constant presence in Washington, D.C., so we can talk to members of Congress about our legislative priorities. We are able to have direct access to members of Congress thanks to your voluntary contributions to the APA Political Action Committee.

Last month, 6,128 pilots contributed to the APA PAC. That number represented 38.5 percent of APA’s active members. Click the image below for a closer look at each domicile’s PAC contribution rates in December, January, and February.

Our Political Action Committee would be extremely well-funded if every APA member contributed as if his or her career depended on it – because it does.

Click here to back the PAC.

Domicile Elections

Electronic balloting for the DCA and DFW domicile elections opened at 0000 Central on March 13. Pilots from those bases can vote for the following candidates through 1200 Central on April 2:

DCA Chair
FO Brandon Lightly
CA Chris Wachter

DCA Vice Chair
CA Timothy Doreen Jr.
FO Thomas Lawler

DFW Chair
CA Steven Pacheco
CA Jon Sherrell
CA Brian Smith

DFW Vice Chair
CA Drew Coleman
FO Julio Gomez
FO Jason Gustin

For more details, visit the APA Elections webpage or review APA Secretary-Treasurer FO Pat Clark’s March 4 message: DCA and DFW Elections Electronic Balloting Update.

Domicile Events

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

  • DCA: Retirement Party on June 29
  • DFW: Pilots For Kids Golf Tournament on May 20; Texas Rangers game on Aug. 6
  • LAX: Family Awareness lunch at MYF on April 9; Family Awareness lunch in Thousand Oaks on April 10; Family Awareness lunch in Dana Point on April 11; 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: Retirement Party on May 4

Week in Review

Here are several 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 (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 a step in the traditional discipline process (Section 21)?
No. The Professional Standards program is an APA volunteer committee that does not involve discipline. A call to domicile Professional Standards volunteers should be considered as the first step: First call? Union first! Resolved issues submitted to the Professional Standards Committee cannot be used by management to support other disciplinary actions at any time in the future. The objective is to facilitate a change at the lowest possible level to prevent the need for a traditional discipline approach.

To read all of the FAQs, click here.

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

Supporting Our Nation’s Veterans

100 Vets Who Give a Damn supports veterans through numerous veterans’ organizations. The group’s next meeting is Thursday, April 18, beginning at 1800 CDT at the C.R. Smith Museum in Fort Worth.

Retirement Seminar Scheduled for April 3

American Airlines and APA will host a retirement information session from 1000 to 1200 Central on April 3 via Microsoft Teams. Future retirees are encouraged to attend. To ensure you get the most out of this seminar, click here to submit your questions in advance.

How to log into the Microsoft Teams meeting:

  1. Click here from any device with Wi-Fi or cellular service.
  2. Enter the meeting ID: 283 423 147 987
  3. Enter the meeting passcode: hnkJKH
  4. Click “Join a meeting.”

Please note the speakers will be sharing their screens, so the recommendation is to use a device where you can view the presentations.

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 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.

Connect with Us: Facebook | Instagram| Twitter| TikTok| YouTube
Contact Us: Phone - 817.302.2272 | Website - AlliedPilots.org