APA News Digest

Jan. 10, 2025

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In This Edition ...

Submissions Open for National Election

Members in good standing will elect a President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer to serve from July 1, 2025, until June 30, 2028.

Pilots can submit themselves or others for nomination until 0001 Central on Jan. 30. Here’s where things stood at 1200 Central today:

President
17 pilots’ names had been submitted, with CA Bill Evans and FO Nick Silva officially seeking nomination.

Vice President
Five pilots’ names had been submitted, with FO Scott Yancy officially seeking nomination.

Secretary-Treasurer
Four pilots’ names had been submitted, with CA Clint Early officially seeking nomination.

For more information, see the Elections page on AlliedPilots.org.

Slates Set for Domicile Elections

Members in good standing based at BOS, LAX, and ORD pilots will elect a Chair and Vice Chair to represent each domicile from May 1, 2025, until April 30, 2028.

Pilots could submit themselves or others for nomination until 0001 Central on Dec. 30. Pilots whose names were submitted had until 0001 Central on Jan. 6 to complete the Willingness to Serve and Conflict of Interest Disclosure forms. Here are the pilots who did so:

BOS Chair
CA Lawrence Cutler

BOS Vice Chair
CA Thomas Knox

LAX Chair
FO William Brynjolfsson
CA Bill Evans
FO Scott Gaddy

LAX Vice Chair
CA Timothy Dick
FO Cort Keithley
FO Tom Price Jr.
FO Gaston Valdovinos

ORD Chair
CA Thomas Kovac
CA Wesley Smith

ORD Vice Chair
FO Paul Meyers
FO Garrett Page

When there are four or more candidates for a domicile position, the APA Constitution and Bylaws call for a Nomination Round that narrows the field to three. Nomination Round voting for LAX Vice Chair will open at 0000 Central on Feb. 6 and close at 0001 Central on Feb. 28.

Election Round voting for the LAX and ORD officers will open at 0000 Central on March 6 and close at 0001 Central on March 31.

Because they were unopposed, CA Cutler and CA Knox will begin their three-year terms on May 1.

For more information, see the Elections page on AlliedPilots.org.

Winter Board Meeting Set for Jan. 27-31

The APA Board of Directors will convene at union headquarters in Fort Worth on Monday, Jan. 27, for its regularly scheduled winter meeting.

ALPA President CA Jason Ambrosi has accepted the Board’s invitation to attend the meeting; he is expected on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

The meeting agenda will include a Membership and Guest Hour on the first day immediately following the APA 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 asmith@alliedpilots.org if you wish to address the Board.

The Board is also tentatively scheduled to receive briefings from the following committees during the meeting:

  • Economic and Financial Analysis Committee
  • Investor Relations Committee
  • Joint Implementation Action Committee
  • Negotiating Committee
  • Aeromedical Committee
  • Communications Committee
  • National Communications Network
  • Safety Committee
  • Retirement & Benefits Committee
  • Grievance Resolution Committee
  • Jumpseat-Non-Rev Committee
  • Flight Time/Duty Time Committee
  • Maintenance and Technical Analysis Committee
  • TUL/Tech Liaison Committee

The meeting will also include these agenda items as required by policy:

  • The List of Grievances Above Step 2
  • Domicile Issues Discussion
  • Actions Taken on Previous Motions and Tasking Orders
  • Committee Budgets
  • National Committee Recommendation List
  • Approval of Newly Appointed National Committee Members
  • Approval of Annual Strategic Plan
  • Strategic Planning Committee Update
  • Negotiating Priorities

“We’re Seeing Some Fissure Cracks”

This week, the Associated Press published an article about stowaways on commercial aircraft raising security concerns. As national media outlets often do, the AP turned to APA for a pilot’s perspective.

“We’re seeing some fissure cracks. They’re unacceptable,” APA spokesman CA Dennis Tajer said. “And we’ve been lucky that it hasn’t been somebody with broader nefarious intent.”

CA Tajer was also interviewed recently by The Times of London, for an article about missile strikes become the leading cause of death on commercial flights. He told the newspaper that pilots want more of a say in determining the risk of a flight route.

“Time and again … the men and women that fly the plane are excluded from the decision process of whether or not it’s safe to fly,” CA Tajer said.

Positive Rate Episode 39: Grievance Resolution Committee

In the latest episode of “Positive Rate,” Communications Committee Deputy Chair FO Melissa Monahan talks with Grievance Resolution Committee Chair CA Sean Clarke and Deputy Chair CA Scott Craig about the committee’s role in the grievance process.

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 comment, please send it to Communications Director Gregg Overman via goverman@alliedpilots.org.

Chicago Deicing

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

Supplement J(4) (1994) expanded RFD pay to cover delays at the gate awaiting pushback, powerback, or taxiout due to aircraft or vehicular traffic congestion at the deicing location. Generally speaking, this expansion of the agreement does not apply to delays at stations where deicing is performed on the gate. Due to the unique characteristics of the deicing process at ORD, this station is an exception to this provision. Delays due to deicing performed at ORD gates are also eligible for RFD pay.

Please reference the RFD Flow Charts for additional information on qualifying events.

Internal Revenue Code Limits

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

One of the more frequent questions asked of the Retirement and Benefits Committee is how various Internal Revenue Code (IRC) regulatory limits affect pilots’ 401(k) plans. The below document explaining the 2025 IRC contribution limits will assist pilots with their 401(k) planning.

2025 Internal Revenue Code Limits

The SECURE 2.0 Act contains an optional provision called a “super catch-up” contribution allowing individuals ages 60 to 63 to make larger catch-up contributions to their retirement plans. For 2025, the super catch-up contribution limit is $11,250. The company informed APA they WILL NOT be incorporating this new provision into the Plan for 2025; therefore, all pilots ages 50 or older will be limited to the normal regular catch-up limit of $7,500 for 2025. APA understands this important provision would allow older pilots to accelerate savings and is working for its future inclusion into the Plan.

New Hotel in SJD

This is a new message from the APA Hotel Committee.

GR Solaris Lighthouse will be replacing our incumbent hotel in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, effective immediately.

For more information, check out the 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.

Verify Vacation Accrual for 2024-2025

This is a new message from APA Military Affairs Subcommittee.

The Military Affairs Subcommittee has received reports that the Company may have incorrectly calculated annual vacation days for some pilots who took military leave in 2024. We are working to identify any issues. While progress is being made, we are committed to ensuring any errors are resolved. We will provide further updates as we have more information.

We ask that all pilots who took periods of extended military leave last year verify your expected vacation via the Vacation Management System (VMS); if your expected vacation does not align with the CBA, we ask that you please email us your details immediately. Your vigilance and feedback are invaluable in addressing issues that arise. As always, we encourage you to continue reaching out to APA and our committee with any concerns you encounter.

Thank you for your continued service to our nation and for allowing your Military Affairs Subcommittee to address military issues on behalf of all APA pilots.

Bidding Alert for Commuting Hockey Fans

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

The national Family Awareness Committee is bringing APA to three commuter cities next month, when we will host members and their guests at professional hockey games. If you live near BNA, MCI, or STL, click the appropriate link below to RSVP:

Special Fini Flight Event on Jan. 22

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

Fini Flight is an APA program designed to honor our retiring members. If a pilot chooses to participate, we meet them at the gate after (or sometimes before) their final flight as an American Airlines pilot. We include friends and family, play some music, bring a cake, and make their last flight memorable!

On Jan. 22, APA and the DFW Chief Pilots will host a special Fini Flight celebration for pilots who retired while on long-term disability (LTD), pilots who know they will be on LTD when they reach age 65, or pilots who retired during the pandemic. For more information, click here.

Join Our Retirement Preparation Seminar on Jan. 15

This is a repeated message from the APA Compass Project Committee.

APA, in collaboration with AA, will host a YOUnion 401 Retirement Preparation Seminar via Zoom at 1100 Central on Jan. 15. This seminar is intended to help you understand the AA and APA benefits and programs that will be available to you as a retiree. All pilots who are at least 50 years old should attend. Plan on a 90-minute session due to the amount of content to cover.

  • Who: Pilots who are at least 50 years old
  • What: A seminar about your benefits as a retiree
  • When: 1100 Central on Jan. 15
  • Where: Zoom

Click here to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the seminar.

Send your feedback to YOUnion@alliedpilots.org.

Concourse Conversations at CLT on Jan. 15

This is a new message from the National Communications Network.

BOS Chair CA Paul McFarland (third from left) and BOS Vice Chair CA Gemma Meehan joined volunteers from the National Communications Network for Concourse Conversations on Jan. 7, as did BOS Chair-elect CA Lawrence Cutler (right) and BOS Vice Chair-elect CA Thomas Knox (left).

The next Concourse Conversations will happen at CLT on Jan. 15, when CLT Chair CA Heather Boulanger and CLT Vice Chair FO Hickory Ham will also host a volunteer drive.

APA Medical Minute – New Color Vision Policy

In the latest edition of the APA Medical Minute, APA Medical Advisor Tina Smith addresses the new color vision policy the FAA implemented on Jan. 1.

You can watch previous Medical Minute videos on APA’s YouTube channel.

Domicile Events

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

  • BOS: Domicile Meeting on Feb. 18
  • CLT: Concourse Conversations on Jan. 15; Domicile Meeting on Feb. 13
  • DFW: Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on Jan. 28
  • LAX: San Diego Lunch on Jan. 14; Temecula Lunch on Jan. 15

Are You Willing to Serve?

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

  • Aeromedical Committee (0)
    • Critical Incident Response Program Subcommittee (1)
    • 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 (2)
  • Economic and Financial Analysis Committee (1)
  • Grey Eagles Liaison Committee (1)
  • Information Technology Steering Committee (1)
  • Professional Standards Committee (1)
  • Retirement and Benefits Committee (1)*
  • Training Committee (1)
    • Checkmate (1 on 777)

* Seeking volunteer with financial services experience and possible AIF®, CFP®, or related designations.

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

Week in Review

Here are some recent messages you may have missed.

Professional Standards FAQs

Why isn’t management part of the Professional Standards Committee?
This is a peer-to-peer program. Correcting behavior through peer engagement and awareness offers a potentially permanent solution. Management fully supports the work of the Professional Standards Committee by providing vast resources and thoughtful input toward improving the process.

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

The Future & Active Pilot Alliance’s next Pilot Job Fair and Future Pilot Seminar are scheduled for Jan. 17 at MCO followed by Feb. 21 at DFW. 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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